With the morning of the winter solstice drawing near, Dragon and Nagini began preparing food for the feast. This, of course, required Dragon to be in human form, though she wasn't looking forward to the transformative process.
"Might as well get this over with," said Dragon, heaving an irritated sigh. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, her wings shrinking until they vanished from sight. Her thinning fur retreated into her skin, leaving her shivering and cold.
"Merlin, I hate being human," she grumbled, leaning forward with both hands on the counter to steady herself. She grasped the corners of her robe and pulled them tight about her waist, her dark hair spilling forward to frame her face.
"You ought to consider yourself lucky," said Nagini, a hint of longing in her voice. "At least you'll always have the ability to change back into a person." A pause, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Forgive me for asking, but what exactly are you? An Animagus, yes?"
"No." Dragon shook her head. "I'm just an ordinary beast with the ability to shapeshift. I use this form whenever I have to go out in public. But the truth is I despise being human. So let's just get this over with as quickly as possible. My transformations only last a short while anyway."
Her transformation complete, the two friends began their holiday baking venture. Dragon decided on a chocolate Yule log cake, while Nagini went for something a bit less complicated.
"Pumpkin pie sounds easy enough," said Nagini, though to be honest she had little experience in the area of making pies. This soon became apparent when Dragon caught her wringing her hands and looking from one ingredient to the next, trying to figure out what to do and where to start.
"Just follow the recipe and you'll do fine, Nagini," said Dragon, her back towards her while stirring a mixture of hazelnut cream. But Nagini wasn't listening. She was too busy eyeing the delectable treats on the counter, her mouth watering from the sweet smell of fresh fruit and warm spices.
"Nagini." Dragon placed her bowl on the counter and slid a cookbook under Nagini's nose. "Here." She tapped the page with her index finger, finally drawing the Maledictus' attention. "You can do this. It isn't difficult to bake a pie."
Nagini hesitated before returning to the cookbook. "I think I remember how to do this," she muttered, passing her hand over the various ingredients and watching the crust spread itself into the tin. A few quick motions and the perfectly baked pie was finished, complete with a layer of whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon on top.
Her dish complete, the Maledictus crept up on the bowl of hazelnut cream, dipping her finger in the mixture and licking it clean. She quickly leaned in for another taste, her hand inches away from the bowl when suddenly a loud chirp rang out in the kitchen.
"Credence!" Nagini gasped, realizing at once that he had joined them in the kitchen. She spun around and saw the Obscurial standing behind her, one hand stroking the baby phoenix that always seemed to accompany him nowadays. When she looked back, Dragon was frowning at her, her hands planted firmly on her hips.
"Perhaps you ought to get started on your rice treats," Dragon suggested, thinking that a second task might keep her from sampling everything in the kitchen. "It will give you something to do while Credence and I decorate the cake."
"Yes." Nagini backed away and began taking ingredients out of the cupboard. "My apologies."
Credence set his chick on the counter, making sure to keep an eye on him while Dragon gathered powdered sugar, mint and cranberries for the decorations. He watched in amusement as the immortal creature explored the many objects on the counter, pecking at a bag of sugar before bedding down on the dish towel for a nap.
With his phoenix resting comfortably, Credence was free to begin helping his mother decorate. They spread hazelnut cream over the chocolate cake, then sprinkled a bit of powdered sugar, making it look as though a dusting of snow had settled on top. Next came springs of mint and fresh cranberries to simulate holly. It wasn't long until Dragon found herself snacking on some leftover cranberries, and she allowed her son to do the same.
"Normally I wouldn't let you have such an odd assortment of snacks. But this is the winter solstice. And what kind of mother would I be if I didn't let you have a treat every now and then?"
"Thank you," he said quietly, taking a handful of cranberries and sharing them with Nagini.
Neither of them noticed the curious chick that had come awake and was examining the pumpkin pie on the counter.
The baby phoenix leaned in close, blinking his large, round eyes and staring at the mound of whipped topping. Was this food? The phoenix wasn't sure. It smelled good, though. So he tried pecking at it, and came away with a dollop of cream on his beak.
More blinking and staring. The phoenix didn't know what to make of this. He sat down on the counter, his insides gurgling. The rumbling in his tummy continued to build, swirling the embers in his stomach until he hiccupped and burped up a fireball, igniting the topping on the pie.
Nagini shrieked when she noticed the flaming pie. "Dragon! Credence's familiar is making pumpkin pie flambé!"
The Dranine quickly withdrew her wand from a pocket in her robes, her son hurrying to remove the little phoenix while she extinguished the fire.
"I'm sorry, Ma," said Credence, clutching the baby bird against his chest. "I wasn't watching him like I should have." His hand was halfway to his belt buckle when his mother stopped him, her hand covering his to prevent him from taking off his belt.
"It's alright, Credence," she said gently. "It was just an accident. And besides, the pie has a nice caramelized glaze now. So it all works out in the end."
"Really?" His gaze drifted to the side where he saw Nagini dipping a finger into the warm topping and tasting it.
"Yes, it's quite alright, Credence." Dragon nodded and gave her son a comforting pat on the back. "However, you might want to put your familiar in your room for a little while."
.oOo.
The phoenix chick was fast asleep when Credence placed him in the pocket of his sweater, carrying him to dinner on the night of the winter solstice. Normally he would have left him in the shoebox under the bed, but Modesty had shown such excitement and enthusiasm when asking to see the little critter that he couldn't say no.
Meanwhile Nagini had discovered one of the many wonders of the holidays. It was called wine. Wine and scented pinecones. They were equally fascinating, and after having one too many glasses of this delightful beverage, she began lecturing the Dementor on the proper placement of pinecones.
"Do you like it?" Nagini queried, leaning sideways until she was practically falling from her seat. She motioned towards the centerpiece at the table: a lovely wreath with garlands of holly and mistletoe, bronze and silver ribbons, and a cluster of scented pinecones.
"Yes, it's very nice, Nagini." Les nodded, trying her best to be polite and mannerly.
Nagini took another sip from her drink, sloshing some wine down the front of her dress. "But you need to get the full effect. So I want you to pick the pinecone up and smell it."
"What?" Les turned in her seat and found herself nose to nose with the Maledictus.
"You heard me!" Nagini shouted. "Pick the pinecone up and smell it, then put it over there!"
"Nagini, honey, I think you've had enough." Dragon reached across the table, taking Nagini's glass of wine and passing it on to Barty.
While the others were busy with Nagini, Credence and Modesty sat with the sleepy chick at the dinner table. Though by now the noise from the guests had caused the phoenix to stir, his eyes wide and staring up at Modesty.
"You can pet him," Credence said, holding the chick out to his sister. "He's very warm and soft."
Modesty tentatively reached out her hand, stroking the chick in her brother's palm. The baby phoenix closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, cooing and nuzzling her with his beak.
"I think he likes you," said Credence.
The phoenix, delighted with the attention he was getting, chirped and looked around. The sights and sounds made him curious, wanting to explore and see what was going on.
He leapt out of Credence's hands and flopped onto the table, his wings flailing as he forced himself onto his feet. He was up and running before the Obscurial could catch him, zigzagging between plates and bowls, sliding in the cranberry sauce and leaving footprints all over the tablecloth.
Credence leaned across the table, reaching for the baby phoenix. Modesty gasped. Her eyes went wide, and she started to laugh. She tried helping him catch his familiar, and accidentally spilled the bowl of stuffing in the process.
By now everyone had stopped what they were doing and were watching the phoenix's mad dash across the table. They saw Credence, inches away from catching the baby bird, when suddenly the chick took a running leap and nosedived into the gravy boat.
The chick flapped and floundered, crying out in distress as he turned over with his feet waving in the air.
"I'm so sorry," said Credence, rising from his seat and plucking the drippy chick from the gravy boat. "He was asleep. I didn't think he'd get loose at the dinner table."
Barty sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. Modesty was still laughing. Though when she looked up and saw the stern expression on her father's face, she quickly put a hand over her mouth, stifling a fit of giggles.
Credence was trembling now, hugging his chick and wishing that he could melt into a puddle and hide under the carpet. When his sister saw the terrified look in his eyes, she turned to her mother, hoping to shoulder some of the blame so Credence wouldn't get in trouble.
"It was my fault," she said. "I asked him to show me his pet. I should have waited until after dinner before asking."
"Modesty, this is why we have rules about not bringing pets to the table," said Les, collecting a handful of napkins and passing them on to Credence so he could dry the feisty phoenix. "I thought you knew better after the coleslaw incident with your brother's chupacabra."
Dragon, being a magical creature, was a bit more lenient. She withdrew her wand and used it to clean up the mess, putting everything in its place before summoning a dish of birdseed and setting it on the table.
"I think he just wants to be part of the family gathering," she said thoughtfully, and the intoxicated Maledictus grinned.
"She's a nice lady," Nagini slurred, her elbow in her plate as she speared a slice of turkey and dipped it in the mashed potatoes. "Never one to turn away us animal people."
After some gentle coaxing, Dragon was able to convince her son to set the chick on the table. The phoenix, it seemed, was just as nervous as Credence, taking his time before climbing out of his owner's hand and approaching the dish of birdseed.
The chick blinked his overly large eyes, turning his head this way and that before finally tasting the birdseed.
Dragon grinned, stroking the phoenix as he paused to express his thanks in the form of a high pitched chirp. "See, Credence? He only wanted to have dinner with us." She leaned back in her seat, watching as the baby bird happily munched his dinner. "He's such an adorable little thing. You really are lucky to have him, son."
'I'm lucky to have all of you,' Credence thought, a rare smile tugging on the corners of his lips.