Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Les Mis. I don't make money from this.
December 24, 2000 London, England - 12 Grimmauld Place
Draco found himself in the big kitchen of Grimmauld Place, sleeves rolled to his elbows, directing the preparation of their Christmas Eve dinner. He had asked Harry and Ron to peel potatoes and chop vegetables, which they obliged him with while chatting happily. Hermione was working with Ginny on the desserts, which included two treacle tarts and a Christmas pudding, which Ginny had begun preparing the day before. Draco had already prepared the stuffing and turkey, which had been in the oven since noon. It was nearly time to take it out and let it rest, he was just waiting for the girls to finish up the pudding.
Draco looked around, assessing what was left to be done, and realized he had a moment to catch his breath. He leaned against the counter, watching everyone around him and allowing his mind to wander. Things were so different than they had been even just a few months before.
Upon their arrival at Grimmauld Place that morning, Ginny had immediately caught Hermione in a hug that Draco was sure could have fractured a rib.
"I'm so sorry I was such a bitch on your birthday and didn't stand up for you and spread rumors with Ron and left you all alone. That was such a horrible thing of me to do and I don't know how you'll ever forgive me, but I hope you do, because I miss you." She had gushed all at once. Hermione had looked to Draco, shocked, before hugging the younger woman back and chuckling a little.
"I miss you, too, Gin, but it'd be nice to be able to breathe." Hermione had told her. And just like that, the two were best friends once more.
Draco watched the two examining the pudding in the steamer and chuckled when they finally decided that it had, indeed, been steamed long enough and that it was time to take it out. He moved out of their way, as the pudding basin was to rest on the counter behind him to cool. He looked at the clock and found they were right on time, as it he needed to pull the turkey out and get the vegetables started.
He thought about Theo briefly as he pulled the turkey out, setting it aside to rest for a while. He had cancelled their plans for that morning a few days before and Draco couldn't help but worrying after his friend. He tried to refocus himself as he prepared the carrots, parsnips, and potatoes for roasting.
Ron and Harry, having finished their jobs, retreated to the drawing room on the first floor. Ginny joined them, leaving Hermione and Draco alone in the kitchen.
"They're not so bad, you know." Draco murmured to Hermione, before sliding the two sheet pans of veggies into the oven and setting the egg timer for forty-five minutes.
"I think they think the same of you." She smirked. "According to Ginny, Luna and Neville will be here shortly. They were told to arrive around four-thirty." Draco nodded.
"Well, we'll be ready to eat in under an hour, so that's good." Draco said, looking around at the food they'd prepped. Hermione frowned at him.
"You're worried. What's wrong?" she asked him.
"Theo." Draco sighed. There was no point in lying to Hermione, he knew that. She nodded, probably feeling the same wa about their friend.
"I hope he's okay. But he did tell us to have fun, you know. Maybe he has plans?" Hermione ventured.
"With who?" Draco snorted.
"With you lot, of course." Theo's voice boomed from the doorway. Hermione turned toward the door, Draco jumping slightly as he looked up to see Theo and Luna in the doorway.
"I hope it's alright that we brought some cooked prawns and cocktail sauce. I asked Harry what was need, but he didn't know." Luna said, setting down a tray of large of prawns on the long table.
"No, that's perfect. We didn't have the time to make a starter." Draco said, once he got over the shock of the two together. Hermione looked between the two of them confusedly, seemingly trying to figure out the situation. Theo chuckled, removing a galleon and handing it to Luna. Draco raised an eyebrow at the exchange.
"Okay, I'm entirely too confused to be polite. What the hell is going on?" Draco finally said. Luna giggled and attempted to hand Theo's galleon back, but he held up a finger telling her to wait for a moment.
"Well, Luna and I met at the Leaky a few weeks ago, and we've hung out a couple times. She invited me to the dinner when she found out I didn't have any plans." Theo said.
"You cancelled our gift exchange to come to a party you knew we were attending and didn't tell us?" Hermione demanded. Theo nodded. "But why?"
"Let's call it a business endeavour." Theo shrugged. "An unsuccessful one at that." He smiled to Luna, who pocketed the galleon Theo had given her.
"What was the bet?" Draco asked him. Theo grinned widely.
"Which of you would be the most confused." Luna told him. "He was sure it would be you, Draco. But I knew Hermione's logical mind wouldn't be able to process the information." Hermione let that sink in a second, before walking over to the other woman and hugging her.
"I'm glad you're home, Luna. It's been far too long." she told her. Luna beamed brightly at her, returning her hug.
"Where's the others? I figured they'd be down here." Luna asked.
"Bailed when they finished working, as usual. They're upstairs, but Neville, Hannah, and George should be here soon." Hermione told them. Draco was a little upset Andromeda had decided against bringing Teddy to the dinner that night, but she'd promised to drop by the manor with him the next day before heading to the Weasley's dinner.
"I'm sure there will be more questions later, but for now, do you all need help with anything?" Theo asked. Draco checked the egg timer, then nodded.
"If you could set the table, that would help out a lot. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes." Hermione led Theo to where the plates were kept and they began setting up. At some point, they were joined by the others, and Neville, Hannah, and George arrived, greeting the group joyfully just as Draco finished the last of the cooking and was placing the food on the table.
"I never really pegged you for a chef, Malfoy." Neville said, sitting down at the table. Draco just shrugged.
"You'd be surprised what can be accomplished when you threaten to burn a man's stuffing." He grinned.
"I'll drink to that." George called, raising his glass to Draco. Harry had carved the turkey while Draco was finishing up, and so, at last, everything was finished and they all sat down to eat. Draco looked up and down the table at the faces of his former classmates, a thought striking him that was so bizarre that it made him laugh out loud. He got several odd looks before Theo finally said what most of them were thinking.
"So, are you going to tell us what's so hilarious, Draco, or are you gonna leave us confused and convinced you're actually insane?"
"Firstly, most of the people in this room have thought I was insane from a young age. Secondly, it's just a thought that crossed my mind just now." Draco grinned at his friend. "This is the first time I've ever eaten at a table with at least one person from every house." Theo blinked, looking around.
"Shit, you're right." Theo said. There was a stunned silence around the table at the realization.
"Yay for not hating each other. Let's eat." George said, breaking the tension.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Ron exclaimed, foregoing the prawns and heading straight for the turkey. Draco chuckled and looked up at Hermione, who was watching him carefully, an odd look in her eye. He couldn't quite place it; it wasn't merely adoration, and it wasn't lust. The closest thing he could compare it to was the look she'd worn when he'd held her close to him in Theo's guest room. Comfort and security. He wasn't sure what he'd done to provide her with that feeling in that moment, but he smiled at her from across the table and he knew as soon as she blushed that he'd caught her while she was in her head.
There were rare moments that Draco savored with Hermione, when she dropped all her walls and let everyone see who she really was. He hadn't seen her do it in a group larger than just him and Theo, but he found his heart swelling at the sight of his girl dropping her walls in such a large group. It helped Draco relax and come out of his shell a bit, even jumping in and animated debating quidditch with Ron and George.
Draco basked in the glow of the festivities, happy that for once, the loud noises weren't bickering, but bantering, and everywhere around him the people were smiling at one another. He could stay like that forever.
But Draco glanced up at Theo midway through dinner, and he noticed his friend was being rather quiet. Draco frowned slightly, but didn't want to draw attention to Theo by calling out to him. As he watched, Theo seemed to shut himself off from everyone, staring at his plate and nothing else. Perhaps the conversations were too loud. Perhaps he wasn't used to being so open with that amount of people. Draco understood that Theo didn't really function in society like most people, and that he tended to close himself off when he felt threatened. It was instinct.
Draco was already trying to come up with a plan to help his friend discreetly when he noticed something peculiar. He watched Luna, sitting next to Theo, talking animatedly to Neville across the table about the diet of the North American Re'ems. In the middle of the conversation, without missing a beat in the discussion, she reached out to Theo and held his hand under the table. The contact seemed to jolt him back to the present and he looked around a bit nervously. Draco noticed he didn't shrug away from Luna's touch, but rather he seemed to cling to it.
Draco smirked. He knew that feeling all too well. Draco's eyes met Neville's across the table briefly and he knew at once the other man had noticed, as well, and yet he still chatted happily with Luna as though nothing had occurred. Draco watched Theo's reaction to Luna's hand carefully, and was surprised to find Theo growing more confident by the second. Draco grinned, finally looking away from his friend who was obviously in good hand.
"They're rather good for each other, aren't they?" Ginny asked quietly. Draco nodded.
"Seems that way. I'm just glad he's not shutting down." Draco sighed in relief.
"Draco, didn't anyone ever tell you? The point of life isn't always to survive. Sometimes, like now, it's to thrive. If there's anyone in the world that can teach Theo that lesson, it's Luna."
Draco agreed with the assessment, looking Ginny over.
"You know, you Weasleys aren't so bad when you're not trying to hex me." Draco smirked.
"Just remember, she's hexed her brothers nearly as much as death eaters, so you're not in the clear just cause you're a friend now." George told Draco. He smiled.
He had friends. He loved the feeling of openness, seemingly washing away the years of forced deceit and shadowy dealings, and replacing them with a light, airy, atmosphere that permeated the air. Draco took a bite of the stuffing he'd made and chuckled. Part of it had been roasted inside the turkey for just a tad too long and was a little burnt.
"Looks like I'm eating burnt stuffing after all."