Day 9-Lovely Weather for a Sleigh Ride Together:
For their fifth anniversary, Draco and Hermione left their kids with Claire and Kelly for the evening. They kept what they were doing a mystery despite the women's' guesses. "Are you flying to the moon?" Asked Claire, and they both laughed, despite it actually being the closest to their plans! They gave the kids a kiss each- Scorpius was naturally more dismissive because he was excited to spend the night with Phoebe, but Lyra was a little more clingy. Kelly managed to win her over by pulling her into the kitchen to make some cupcakes. They drove back to their house to make sure no muggles saw, and then they held hands to apparate to their destination.
Wrapped up warm in scarves and hats, the couple swung their held gloved hands as they strolled through Markt Square, the smell of pine and mulled wine filling the air. As many beautiful medieval and gothic buildings as Britain had, Bruges's were even more incredible. Especially as they were painted festive golds and reds for the season, with decorations to make them resemble gingerbread houses! Hermione took a long indulgent inhale, stopped by Draco excitedly pulling her towards a food stall, just as Harry and Ron would have done if they were here. Boys! She had to admit, watching the Belgian waffles form and then be coated in hot chocolate was nearly as lick-lickingly appetising as actually eating them! They went onto the next wooden chalet style store, filled with handmade decorations they perused for a long time before finally deciding on a little gift for each of the kids. They bought some mulled wine and then she was preparing to head onto the next stall, but Draco told her they had something booked. Surprised, she raised her eyebrows, but he just offered her his arm and guided her around the market to a far less crowded alleyway. She was about to ask if he was taking her here to kill her when she heard a neighing like noise and looked up to see a a crystalline carriage driven by a pristine glistening white horselike creature- except that it had six legs and a gorgeous lion like mane! Guiding the creature was a woman in a metallic two piece set with off-white coloured flowers braided throughout her silvery hair. "Mr Malfoy?" She called down to them, coming to land when he nodded yes. Draco handed over a few galleons, then helped her into the carriage up the glass steps. She may have been in leggings and a fur coat, but she felt like Cinderella with her prince tonight.
Albeit a few more well deserved nerves. The fairytale hadn't involved flying through the air! But she found that the nerves quickly turned into excitement. As they flew up into the air she let go of Draco's arm and shifted over to the window, her hands on the edges as she leaned out, watching the marketplace grow smaller like a little Christmas village.
"Careful there!" Draco warned. "Who's going to protect the elves if you fall? Father Christmas's presents will never get out!" Their kids believed the man in red had his own huge workforce of house elves to help him.
"I'd hope you'd honour my legacy!" She teased him, but she did move away from the edge a little to snuggle into the crook of his arm while they both kept watching. "You're a good secret keeper, I had no idea you had this in mind."
He pointed to himself. "Slytherin."
Their ride ended far too quickly for her liking, but Hermione had expected to land in the same place. It took her a few moments to look around and realise that they were in a magical not a muggle area. She looked at Draco with joking accusation and he smirked again. "Slytherin."
The magical Christmas market was even more incredible. There was a chocolate chalet where the wizard claimed to cast an enchantment into the bar to make it taste like your relationship. Hermione was a little sceptical, but she had to admit that the dark chocolate with honey flakes was marvellous. A tiny looking doorway expanded into a giant department store sized shop with beautifully handmade dress robes in golds, reds and greens, with reindeer or shepherd lacy patterns. When they emerged from that shop they heard a Belgian voice calling out to round people up. Caught up in the crowd, they gravitated towards it as well, seeing a huge tree ahead that seemed to go up to the sky. They bought a glass of mulled wine each as the chatter persisted for a few minutes, and then that same loud voice began to cry out.
"Residents and visitors," Draco translated for her in a whisper. "Every year we light a tree the night after the muggles do theirs just a few streets away. Before the war this occurred on the same night but now we encourage the Wizarding population to attend both. I was present at the muggle tree lighting last night and may I say, it was one of the most awe inspiring moments of my life."
"That's wonderful," Hermione murmured back. "I never would have anticipated my two worlds intertwining so well. We should take this Bruges tradition back home."
Draco nodded, and then they both joined the silence and accompanied the others in lighting the ends of their wands as an inner group of wizards circled the tree and began to run around, their wands lowered to the ground. They slowly swooped them up, repeating the lumos spell with increasing vigour, reminiscent of O Come All Ye Faithful, the carol she'd always had the most fun with at primary school! With incredible majesty, the tree began to light from the bottom up with glowing candles, making the cold toned baubles visible against the green fir, and once they reached the top a firework shot up from it into the sky and exploded in blues and whites and silvers; not just a random pattern but into the shape of a snowflake. The flecks tumbled down from the sky to fall amongst them for the children, and the more childish amongst them, to try to catch between their hands. Hermione was unashamed to say that they were among those clapping their hands together!
"Careful there!" Draco teased her.
She just stuck her tongue out as she successfully caught a spark and felt it disintegrate in her palms. "Gryffindor!"