Day 11- When the Snowman Brings the Snow:
As usual on Christmas Morning, Hermione woke up to her two children jumping up and down on the bed, shaking their parents awake. However, what they were saying was what had her confused. "Let's go outside! Come on! Come on!" She looked over at Draco in confusion but he just shrugged back at her, not in on the conspiracy this time. It was as if Lyra had used a strength potion when she somehow yanked her up out of bed, the boys following behind them as they all ran out of the room and were guided downstairs. Laughing in surprise, Hermione asked if her daughter didn't want to open her stocking. "Father Christmas came?" Lyra asked, even as they hurried past a huge stack of presents that hadn't been there last night. "Later! Later!" Having reached the doors that led outside to the garden, the children were grinning, looking between each other and their parents as they each held a curtain.
"Ready?" Asked Scorpius.
"What are you two up to?" Hermione wondered aloud, her husband's eyebrow was raised to the ceiling. They counted down from three and then they jerked back the curtains, dragging a sudden gasp from their parents' mouths. The bare trees which had lost their leaves long ago were now dressed in white, the grass was covered in a pristine coating, in fact the only reason they could see it was because there was on overhang; the window of the greenhouse outside was utterly covered so you couldn't see inside at all! "Oh my Godric!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's a White Christmas!" She'd never had one in her life- this truly felt like a dream.
"What a Winter Wonderland!" Draco cried out.
"Okay, enough Christmas music name dropping!" She declared. With a grin, she grabbed both her kids' hands and pulled them into the porch to wrap up in about fifty layers. "Wellies on!" She ordered, and with their armour on, the family of four raced out into the snow.
"Let's make a snow wizard!" Decided Lyra excitedly. Hermione was more than happy to oblige her, and began to direct the others to work rolling or collecting. But she was so focussed on her work, as she expected them to be too, that she didn't see the snowball coming that flew at her face! Wiping it off, she stood up slowly and threateningly demanded "who did that?" Her two boys pointed at each other, so she crouched down, gathered two messy but nonetheless effective handfuls ands launched them at the two! The project dissolved into a giggling snow war until Lyra asked them very politely to finish her witch. Because she asked so nicely, they all agreed to pause, and with a little cheating (she just couldn't get her ball perfectly rounded!) they produced a rather marvellous snowlady. "Hmm..." Hermione stroked her non-existent beard with her ski glove coated hand. "Something's missing..."
"A nose!" The kids shouted in synch as she and Draco glanced between each other with a snort. Scorpius ran off to the fridge to go fetch a carrot, but he came back with only a parsnip, causing his exactly five year old sister to burst into tears.
"It's okay baby," Draco reassured her, taking the wrong coloured vegetable and transfiguring it orange. He then picked the now smiling girl up so she could stick it into the middle of the top ball's face. They all took a step back to admire their handiwork and Hermione thought to herself that the snow on their wedding day might have been wonderful, but it was nowhere near as amazing as experiencing the real thing with her full family.
After they'd wrangled the kids inside to open their Christmas presents- she never thought she'd be forced to do that!- and scoffed down Lyra's cake for breakfast, they asked what else she wanted to do in the snow. Scorpius began to give his suggestion, but they told him to hold off- "it is your sister's birthday, after all!" Thank Godric they were going to the Burrow for lunch this year, or they'd be stuck inside with the food- as the kids refused to go without Finky. The reluctant elf was soon wailing in horrified delight as she sped down the hill outside on a sleigh. "Potion to keep warm?" Hermione asked Draco as he passed her a flask.
"In a way," he chuckled. She took a sip and kissed him in thankfulness.
"Ooh, cinnamon hot chocolate! I love you!"
"I love you too," he told her with a kiss on her chilly cheek. "I added cinnamon because it reminds me of you. That was how your perfume smelled the night we first danced."
"And kissed," she giggled like she was that teenager again- a role she'd never fully committed to.
"Don't get me wrong," he said, wrapping an arm around her and lowering his voice. "That kiss was fantastic, but I sometimes think dancing is even more intimate." He put a gloved hand to hers, "the soft contact," He leant in. "The promises of what is to come-"
The kids and Finky came running, spraying snow behind them. "Finky is going in Master and Mistress!" The breathless elf told them.
"Mummy! Daddy! Come and have a go!" The kids cried out, and Hermione shot Draco a cheeky sideways smile.
"We'll have to dance later- if we have any energy left." Scorpius claimed her and they settled onto the sledge with him in front to steer whilst she kept her feet on the ground to stop them setting off. She turned to look at their competition and began to panic. "Why are we doing this? I hate those flying death traps- but at least you can control how fast you-"
"GO!" Screamed the children and her feet flew off the ground, wrapping her legs around her son's as they set off down the bumpy hill, the screams torn from her throat at first and then silenced by air as they launched off a little ramp type rock and zoomed momentarily through the air! "Roll!" Scorpius yelled, and catapulted off the sledge. It took her a moment of looking after him before she realised she was supposed to do that too and followed suite- although her attempts to log roll elegantly had her hip coming into contact with the edge of the sledge- but the pain didn't last long as Draco and Lyra appeared over her, waving their arms in a 'nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!' Fashion and celebrating their victory. "REMATCH!" She announced, shouting out the spell to levitate the sledge and racing up the hill ahead of the others!
By the time they arrived at the Burrow the Granger-Malfoys were starving from their energetic day frolicking in the snow. They side-along apparated with the children to find a whole army of snow angels- or as Draco called them rather more morbidly, snow dementors- being created. Lyra was quickly snatched up for a game in the snow by a team led by Dominique Weasley, whose favourite cousin was still her first one, whilst Scorpius was taken by the other team captain (due to his being the second oldest), James Potter. The only ones not participating were twelve year old Teddy Lupin and ten year old Victoire Weasley, who were supposedly helping Molly out in the kitchen, but what with the plethora of mothers there to clutter the kitchen, had disappeared inside. It wasn't the literal kitchen, mind you. That was far too small for everyone so even the Weasleys had given up on trying to squeeze the extended family in and created a warming charm in the garden where most of the cooking was taken place. "Auntie 'Mione?" Asked a little voice. Hermione looked down to find a face pouting up at her. Lily Luna Potter was asking "have you seen anyone with a pink sash hiding? I'm worried they're lost."
The Gryffindor looked down sternly at her god-daughter. "Now Miss Lily, I don't believe that's how we play this game!"
The ginger shrugged and ran over to her husband. "Uncle Draco..."
The couple burst out laughing and Draco turned back to the group he'd been talking to. "Your daughter is one hundred percent a Slytherin."
And the Boy Who Lived, who only a few years ago would certainly have challenged anyone, particularly this man, to a duel for such a suggestion, nodded in agreement. "I think you could be right!"
Hermione had enjoyed the snow, but it was certainly nice to sit down at the huge table with everyone in the magically perfectly heated space and tuck into a delicious dinner as she tried to get the name of the newest soon-to-be Weasley. "At least the gender?" She begged, and Ron opened his mouth to reply but Pansy made a zipping gesture and it immediately clamped shut, to the amusement of everyone but none more than the smallest children at the table. The once criminally harsh Slytherin girl, now soon-to-be mother was excellent as she bantered with them, quickly gaining their approval, which was excellent, since Ron and Pansy's union last September and pregnancy announcement a few weeks ago were the reason they'd decided to have this big shin-dig this year. "How's school Teddy?" Hermione asked the oldest child.
"Everything my gran and Harry told me it would be and more," he said, then glanced to the seat at his left and his hair and cheeks turned the same colour. "But I can't wait for Viccy to come too." The pre-teens exchanged a loaded glance which all the adults smiled at; it had been clear since they met as infants that they would end up together!
After dinner they went out to end the evening in the snow. Per Lyra's birthday request, they played a snowy version of Capture the Flag. All of the couples were split up, but Hermione snuck behind Draco until she managed to get him back for that morning and get him out of the game! Triumphantly, she galloped up to him. "Now we're even!" She threw her arms around the back of his neck, "that means we can dance." There wasn't any music, but it didn't matter as they slow danced in the snow, heads bent close, smiling blindly at each other- until a whole set of snowballs hit the back of her head like a bunch of arrows had been fired! The culprits weren't visible, but she could certainly hear them sniggering as she chased after them as fast as she could in a way that felt like running through water!
AN: Just had a nutcracker hot chocolate and a Cranberry, Brie & Bacon toastie, OMG who's ready for Christmas!?