Draco and Astoria had ascended the last snowy hill, Astoria clinging to Draco's left arm, snuggling into his side to seek out warmth. Draco tried to resist the shiver coming up his spine but he was not successful. Despite the thickness of their long wool overcoats Draco and Astoria could feel the chill of the snow around them. It had dusted their hair, looking like powdered sugar. Their toes were beginning to feel wet through their boots.
"See? I knew this was a bad idea right from the get-go!" Draco said sourly.
"Oh, stop complaining," Astoria said, swatting his arm weakly with her gloved hand. "It'll be fine. I mean, look at it, isn't it beautiful?"
Draco turned his face from Astoria's own and looked ahead of him, down the hill towards the lit windows of the Burrow. The roof was covered in snow and the many levels of the house had strings of bell jars, with bright white fire flickering within the glass, wrapped around it. The wild hedges in the garden seemed to have real fairy lights floating in the green. The fence was decorated with red and green tinsel that sparkled amongst the snow and under the moonlight.
Not since his days at Hogwarts had Draco seen anything so wonderfully strange and warm. Astoria and Kassy always made their home beautiful around Christmastime but this display was not classy or elegant. However, the warmth of the light that surrounded the house made Draco's chest tighten uncomfortably.
Astoria tugged him along and they descended the hill. As they drew closer they could hear the laughter that was reverberating through its walls and sneaking out of the cracks in the doors and windows. Through the window that led to the kitchen a head of bushy brown hair was leaning over what must have ben the sink, laughing ad talking with another, older woman with flaming red hair. She looked up, spotted Draco and Astoria, and gave a small smile. Her head disappeared from the window and before Draco and Astoria had even reached the door Hermione Weasley burst through it. She wore a red muggle dress that hugged her waist and fanned out above her knees. She waved them over, her wedding band shining under the enchanted fire hanging above her.
"You made it!" she exclaimed, and Draco thought he was going crazy because the woman actually sounded happy about it.
"Thank you so much for inviting us," Astoria said as the couple entered, shaking off her cloak and hugging Hermione tightly. "It was very kind of you to think of us this Christmas Eve."
"Us old folks have to make out our own fun, now that the children are away," Hermione said brightly, taking Astoria and Draco's cloaks and finding that their was no coat rack, she pulled out her wand and transfigured the umbrella stand into one, hanging up their coats afterwards. "Although, mind you, knowing them I worry they're causing more trouble around the castle."
"Has Luna arrived yet?"
"No, she should be here with Lorcan and Lysander soon though. You know Luna, she comes and goes."
Draco watched the women as they walked into the depths of the Weasley home, chatting happily. Hermione's red dress complimented Astoria's emerald dress robes as the fabrics brushed up against each other.
"You gonna move at all tonight, Malfoy, or are you afraid we're gonna hex you?"
Draco whipped his head around to the living room and scowled. He narrowed his eyes at Ron Weasley who was, oddly, grinning at him and waving, an odd glint in his eye that Draco could only label as amused. Draco approached Ron who was reclining on a chair, a table with a wizard chess board set on it. His opponent was a young man he'd never seen before with bright green hair.
The young man was looking up at him, his bright grey eyes penetrating. Draco felt oddly exposed. After an awkward pause, Draco decided he probably should introduce himself, if only to lift the silence. He stuck out his hand and began, "I'm Draco Malfoy-"
"I know who you are."
Draco's hand hung in the air and he felt his jaw twitch. The man's eyes changed to a bright violet. "I shouldn't really expect you to know me. I'm Teddy Lupin. Happy Christmas cousin."
Teddy took Draco's limp hand, shook it once and quickly let it go. He then turned back to his chess game with Ron, as if Draco was no longer important. Ron's eyes gleamed as he too turned back to the game at hand.
Draco couldn't really think properly. His cousin's son, a cousin he had never given much thought to, a cousin who was murdered during the war, a cousin who had had a child who had been orphaned soon after he was born, a cousin whose son was right in front of him… He had never thought of Teddy Lupin during these long years. Teddy had never crossed his mind and suddenly Draco was filled with a sense of guilt he normally didn't feel unless he was reminded of the war. The darkness spread from his heart to his stomach and it was similar to the way Malfoy Manor made him feel, full of dread and a feeling that blood that was not his own was staining his hands.
"Malfoy, come over here."
Draco now turned to see Harry standing in front of a great Christmas tree near the hearth, holding a glass of eggnog in one hand. Draco, not knowing what else to do, approached Harry despite his instincts to sneer, hurl and insult, and then run off, Draco passed many adults with bright red hair on his way. Some stared at him while others blatantly ignored him. To his surprise Arthur and George Weasley waved at him as he passed. Draco saddled up to Harry and, not wanting to be the one to start conversation, looked at the tree behind him. It was covered in mismatched tinsel and ornaments, burning candles, and the very top of the tree sat an ugly gnome that had been dressed as an angel, a fake harp tied to one of his pudgy brown hands.
"Don't mind Teddy," Harry said, trying to sound comforting. "I think he's just a little… bitter."
Draco shrugged.
"Can't exactly blame him," he drawled. "I never thought of him once over the years. Mother never mentioned him."
Harry just nodded, his bright green eyes clouding over with concern. Draco knew that that look was not for him.
"Please, be careful around him," Harry pleaded. "You're technically the only blood family he has besides Andromeda."
"We both know that that doesn't really matter to him at this point. We've been absent too long."
"I just want my godson to connect with more people. I am his family, we are his family, but he has a right to know you and I know he wants too."
Draco looked at Harry and raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Deep, deep, deep down he does. Trust me," Harry's eyes twinkled in a way that reminded Draco of someone kept many secrets. "I am his godfather after all."
Before Draco could even think of a proper reply heard a great whoosh coming from outside. The windows and front door of the house rattled and the occupants of the Burrow felt a chill that couldn't be explained by the winter cold. Harry rushed to the door leaving Draco in a state of confusion. Ron had gotten up from his chess game and followed slowly behind Harry his hands stuffed awkwardly in the pockets of his robes. Hermione had left the kitchen with Astoria, Angelina, and Ginny standing in the entrance to the kitchen. They all watched the door, hesitating.
Draco looked to his wife imploringly. She mouthed to him, "Luna." A silence had smothered the occupants of the house, waiting with bated breath for the door to open, to give them their cues on what to do next. Harry reached the door, Ron and Hermione flanking him on other side. Harry reached for the door and yanked it open. Draco could only see his back but he had a feeling that Harry was trying to smile.
"Luna! We're so glad you could make it!"
Through the gaps the trio had between their heads, Draco took in the scene and his heart sank to his stomach. The chill that had enveloped the house increased tenfold as part of the occupants of the house spotted the great thestral Luna and her two sons had dismounted from. Lorcan was by his mother's side as he watched his mother lift Lysander from the back of the dark animal and set him on the white snow that covered the garden.
Can they see it? Draco wondered, looking at children curiously. He suddenly desperately wished they couldn't. Draco heard Teddy gasp and knew immediately that to the young man he had just seen a little by be lifted off of seemingly thin air. Draco was grateful for that. He knew the rest of the house wished that they couldn't see the gently creature of death. It was an ugly reminder. Draco made his way slowly to the front of the living room. Luna had made it to the front door and was being embraced by the trio who awaited her.
Luna made her way slowly into the house making her rounds around the room greeting people. Her expression was as dreamy as ever but there was no trace of her usual smile. She wore silver dress robes that looked a little wrinkled. Golden tinsel wound itself through her hair as it tied itself into a sort of fuzzy bow at the back of her head. Her earrings were made of actual holly that it looked like she had magically shrunk.
Her two sons followed her around until suddenly one of them looked over and spotted Draco. Just as Draco had recognized this twin as Lorcan the little one, without a word, had run over to him and lifted his arms. George and Percy both made moves as if to stop the boy from hugging a venomous snake but to everyone's surprise, sans Astoria's and Luna's, Draco bent down and scooped Lorcan up into his arms.
"You've gotten bigger," Draco noticed. "Used an aging potion lately?"
Lorcan shook his head furiously, stuck his tongue out at him, and then buried his head into the crook of Draco's neck. Out of the corner of his eye Draco saw George throw his hands up and say "I've seen it all now!" and heard Ron's uproarious laughter in the background. But it was Astoria's glorious smile from the kitchen doorway that made Draco feel like he had received a stupendous Christmas present.
Luna approached Draco and Lorcan, Lysander holding on to her left hand. Stopping in front of him she turned to Lysander and said, "Lysander how about you check around Uncle Percy for nargles. You know how they bother him and make him grumpy." Lysander simply nodded and floated away to check Percy's robes and curly hair for said creatures. Draco couldn't tell if Luna had just been trying to send Lysander away for a while or if she had been serious.
Luna turned to Draco and made eye contact with him. Draco was tempted to turn away. "Lorcan seems to like you," she commented. "I guess that's what happens when you abandon your boys on someone else's doorsteps."
Draco flinched.
"Don't say such things,"
"Why? It's only the truth."
"Believe it or not there are some truths that our children don't need to know! Besides… they have forgiven and forgotten."
"It's so easy for children to do such things. But they'll forget to forgive once they're older and they understand what happened," Luna's eyes were no longer dreamy or faraway but hard and unmerciful. "Especially when their mother can't really forgive herself."
Draco nodded and said snidely, "If it makes you feel better, I haven't forgiven you either. Do you know how long it had been since I handled a toddler? Made a complete fool out of myself trying to get this one to eat anything. I distinctly remember having to pretend I was a prancing hippogriff or something like that to get his mouth open long enough to stuff the food in."
Luna laughed and it was light and beautiful and suddenly the room once again felt happy and warm and the great chill, the suspense, had finally dissipated.
Lorcan looked up briefly at his mother, smiled, then proceeded to play with Draco's receding hair.
"So… you made it via thestral?" Draco asked, lifting Lorcan a little higher up his chest.
Luna nodded and replied, "We feed the thestrals near our home. Some live around the area, and the ones who have grown up near us since they were foals like us. You can never domesticate a thestral but you can earn their loyalty. Kind of like hippogriffs, they demand a certain kind of respect."
She grinned at him slyly and Draco scowled.
Draco opened his mouth but hesitated. He wanted to ask, he wanted to but…
"Can they see them?" Luna asked the question for him. Sometimes he wondered if she was clairvoyant. Luna shook her head.
"I've simply told them about thestrals, drew pictures. They know they are there. But they can't see them."
Draco let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in.
"Are you guys…"
"Okay? No, not yet. But we will be."
Draco suddenly knew they would be. The feeling of Lorcan's arms around him, Luna's soft face, and the strange warmth that surrounded him and constricted him in this fold of people told him so.
"Happy Christmas Luna."
"Happy Christmas Draco."