Author's Notes:
Here's Chapter 120 for you!
This is the sixth of the short eight Christmas themed chapters that I promised this summer. I took a much-needed break during August to just relax, but also start studying for my final year at university. I have two weeks until my lectures start, and I'm hoping to upload a few more chapters in that time. Chapter 121 and 122 both have some scenes written for them. They were part of old chapters that I scrapped but kept the scene in a separate document in case they came in use, and they have, so I'm excited.
Love DW
PS Enjoy x
"Hermione?" Draco calls her attention as he steps into the kitchen, throwing his long, black coat over his suit. "I'm heading out for a few hours," he states, straightening his maroon jacquard blazer and matching tie.
His wife glances up from the Christmas cake she was icing in preparation for their meal that afternoon at the Manor with Narcissa. "What?" She pauses, her eyes appreciatively scanning his body, taking in his suited form.
"I have some business I need to attend to urgently," he vaguely explains, hands in his coat pocket.
Hermione frowns, throwing the icing spoon back in the mixing bowl. "It's Christmas Eve, Draco, and you're a professor on paternity leave. What business could you possibly be attending to?" She asks.
"This is just something I need to do, today," he explains, walking over to the Moses basket beside the countertop where Scorpius is enjoying his midday nap. "You'll understand later," he adds, gently brushing his son's hair to the side. "It'll probably be best if I meet you at the Manor. Blaise is planning on arriving with Pandora around one o'clock." He continues, turning back to his unimpressed wife.
"What about Lucius?" She asks, knowing he had forgotten about his father.
Draco sighs deeply, "We can visit him another day, the twenty-seventh?" He suggests.
"No, we promised your father we would visit him on Christmas Eve." She states simply. I" have his present wrapped ready to go. How is our relationship supposed to grow and develop to a place where he'll be able to trust me if I break my promises?" She asks arms crossed, annoyed.
"It's once, Hermione," he pinches the bridge of his nose, a headache forming. "He won't mind."
"Fine, go about your business. I'll visit Lucius myself." She ends the conversation taking her dishes to the sink to wash manually.
"What about Scorpius? We agreed to wait until he was old enough before introducing them to each other." He asks, gesturing to their son.
"Can you take him with you?" She asks, running the hot water tap.
"I'd rather not," he admits.
"Well, then you should have thought about Scorpius before making business arrangements on Christmas Eve." She says. "He will have to come with me. I'll ask Mr Ahmed if he'll enter the cell with me for added protection." She adds to appease Draco.
"Hermione," Draco sighs, coming up behind her. "I know you're angry with me, but I promise you, this is important." He presses a sweet kiss to her cheek. "I love you?" he whispers unsurely.
Those three words are rarely uttered in their small family. Growing up in Hermione's family, love was shown, not told. Her parents' relationship was built on small gestures. A cup of tea made while the other was getting ready, a little treat hidden in the other's lunch box for work, and many gifts bought just because it reminded them of each other. While she knows Lucius and Narcissa love each other, it was evident in their loyalty to each other; she can't imagine their love being shown or told in a healthy way in front of Draco. It did explain why he rarely told her that he loved her, but why he constantly peppered he with small kisses, on the cheek, her hairline, her knuckles, anywhere he can reach, he has kissed her there.
"I love you too," she turns, caressing his cheek before leaning up to return his kiss. "I trust that whatever this is, it is important to you. Just don't be late. I don't want to be stuck with your mother alone." She tries to lighten the mood.
"Blaise will be there."
"I know," she nods. "We'll get there for one."
Draco leaves, a small smile on his face, glad that his wife wasn't as angry with him as he had expected she would be. The slam of the door as he leaves wakes Scorpius up with a startled cry.
Hermione sighs, setting the remaining dishes the wash themselves before picking Scorpius up. "Your daddy is up to something," she coos, cradling him in her arms as she takes him upstairs, running the bath for him.
She chats away to Scorpius as she bathes him, telling him about the day ahead of them. She equal part nervous and excited to introduce him to Lucius. Whenever she had visited him in the past, he had always asked about his first grandchild. Questioning how big he was getting, if his hair had lightened anymore, how Draco was getting along being a father. He seemed interested, but she has no way of knowing how he would react to actually seeing Scorpius.
After rinsing the suds off, she wraps her son in a warm towel, laying him on his changing mat while she secures a clean nappy and pulls on a vest before choosing his outfit for the day. She decides on a pair of grey wool trousers Narcissa bought, a collared shirt, and a beige cardigan along with a small pair of booties her parents had bought him. She uses his soft bristle brush to part his hair, realising Draco wasn't there to style his soft curls.
In her room, she lays Scorpius in the centre of their bed so she can dress, having showered earlier in the morning. She decides on a simple black wrap dress tied around her waist and her knee-high boots. Once ready to leave, she secures Scorpius within the baby carrier wrap tied around her body, pulls on her black woollen coat and leaves.
She tried to not to disapparate very often with Scorpius. Still, sometimes it is a necessity, as apparation was the only way onto Azkaban island for anyone other than the three heads of Azkaban. When she reaches the foyer, Mr Ahmed is sat enjoying a pot of tea with two Officials that Hermione doesn't recognise. They stare at her with both surprise and concern, but she assumes Mr Ahmed explained to them that he was expecting a visitor as she was walking up the stairs.
"Ms Granger, it's good to see you again. You're looking very well." Mr Ahmed stands, holding his hand out to shake.
"Thank you; it's been a while since I saw you last." She smiles, following him into his office at his gesture.
"Young Scorpius looks just like his photographs." He peers at her son's face.
"The Daily Prophet's Christmas special?" Hermione asks, knowing that the only photograph of Scorpius to be released to the public was the one taken by Magnus Maddox.
"No, Lucius' photographs." He chuckles. "You really should have asked beforehand, but I do believe they are helping him. I won't report you." He winks.
Hermione smiles. The two of them have built up a rapport over the past eighteen months, and she highly doubts he would report her back to Minister Shacklebolt for anything.
"I am surprised to see you here this early." He admits.
"After last year, I thought it would be best to visit Lucius before our dinner at the Manor." She flushes in embarrassment at her actions last year when she had been a little tipsy.
Mr Ahmed smiles but doesn't comment. "Is Mr Malfoy not joining us today?" He asks, instead.
Hermione's face stiffens, "No, he has some business to attend to this morning."
"Oh," he nods. "So, Scorpius will be joining you in Lucius' cell?" he asks, not sound worried.
"Yes, and I was hoping you would join us as well. Draco doesn't trust his father and is worried about him meeting his grandson. I'm sure he'll be fine, but just to assure Draco." She explains.
"Of course, if it'll make you feel better."
"Before we go, can I ask, does Lucius talk about Scorpius at all?" She asks.
"He keeps the photographs you've brought him in his journal. I've caught him on numerous occasions looking at them. The first time he hid them but eventually after I'd caught him a few times, he offered to show me them. He told me everything you had told him. He particularly likes the one on the bus, and of his brother. That was a surprise to me." He explains.
"Oh, goodness, we're trying to keep his identity a secret, for obvious reasons." Hermione worries for a moment.
"You can trust me, Ms Granger." He reminds her, and she relaxes. "I truly believe that Lucius loves his grandson, and he will be excited to meet him finally. I'm not sure he ever expected to meet the child until he was released, this will be a lovely holiday surprise for him." Mr Ahmed stands. "Is there anything else, or shall we go."
Hermione fastens her coat around Scorpius, hiding his face from the horrors of Azkaban and joins him as they make their way up to Lucius' cell. The two guards open the cell together. Mr Ahmed enters first, stepping to the side, allowing Hermione to enter.
Lucius is stood beside his desk, having stood up when he'd heard the door opening. His eyes flicker between Hermione and Mr Ahmed.
"Merry Christmas, Lucius." Hermione greets him with a smile.
She doesn't step any closer to him, which is unusual. She usually invades his space, by sitting on the edge of his desk or pulling his desk chair over to his bed, depending on where he is when she enters.
"Merry Christmas," he replies. "Where is Draco?" He asks, trying to sound casual.
"He had some business to attend to this morning." She tells him.
Lucius frowns, having used that excuse with Narcissa many times in the early days of their marriage when he was attending meetings with the Dark Lord. "Is he well?" He asks, instead of asking if she's worried.
"He's fine." She answers vaguely.
"Why are you here, Rasheed?" He asks finally when no one explains the Head of Azkaban's presence in his cell. None of the Heads had ever accompanied Hermione before.
Mr Ahmed turns to look at Hermione, expecting her to answer.
"Draco was worried about not being able to accompany us today, so I promised him I would ask Mr Ahmed to join us," Hermione explains, unfastening her coat.
Lucius watches as a tuft of light brown curls appears near the neckline of Hermione's dress. He takes a step back, surprised, walking into his desk. He grips the edge to hold himself up as Hermione removes his grandchild from some sort of fabric attached to her chest.
"Would you like to meet your grandson?" She asks him, but he can't bring himself to speak, just nod. "Sit down." She tells him, so he does.
Lucius lowers himself down into his desk chair. As usual, Hermione leans against the edge of his desk, this time, her child in her arms. He would never have imagined getting to meet his grandchild while in Azkaban. He never thought Draco would have approved, and if he had, he doubted the Heads of Azkaban would have allowed the meeting. However, Rasheed Ahmed seemed to have a soft spot for Hermione and him. He glances over his shoulder at the man who smiles back at him, reassuringly.
"Scorpius, this is your grandfather, Lucius," she whispers to her son, supporting his head as she turns him around to face Lucius.
"Hello, Scorpius," Lucius speaks, his voice dry. He reaches out, hand shaking as he strokes the top of his grandson's tiny fist with his forefinger.
The baby stares at him curiously, blinking innocently. Lucius thinks the child might recognise him, having spent time with his brother, Hyperion, who looks a lot like him.
"He looks just like the photographs," he admits, surprised that an unmoving picture can capture a person so well.
"Would you like to hold him?" Hermione asks.
Lucius feels his eyes widen in complete surprise that she would even risk handing her child over to him.
"It's okay if you don't, I know it's a lot." She adds, giving him an out if he wishes.
"No, I would like to hold him if you are sure."
"Of course, I would like to take a picture of you and Scorpius. I'm creating a photo album of our family for Scorpius. You and Narcissa are still young, but a lot of my family are older, and, as awful as it sounds, I want something for Scorpius to remember them by when they're gone." She explains.
"I'm not sure I want a photograph of myself looking like this." His eyes scan his grey Azkaban robes. At least his hair looks alright, having washed it the night before and having been given a comb for good behaviour.
Hermione removes her wand, sending a hopeful look at Mr Ahmed, who nods. Lucius stares wide eyes as Hermione waves her wand, silently casting a charm on his robes. He watches as the grey shabby fabric changes into a plain black, fitted robe, buttoned close to his neck. Lucius stands from his chair to get a better look at himself. It's nothing like he used to wear, but he's grateful to be wearing something other than his Azkaban robes for a few minutes.
"Thank you, Hermione." He smiles properly for the first time in a while.
"Sit down, Lucius," she laughs.
He does so; arms held ready for his grandchild. Hermione gently places Scorpius down in Lucius' arms, stepping back to view the pair. She removes the camera from her coat pocket. She frames the shot while Lucius is still staring down at his first grandchild, looking in disbelief.
Lucius feels hypnotised by the deep brown eyes of Scorpius. He realises that this child in his arms knows nothing about him, knows nothing about his past, his actions, his beliefs. He feels ashamed to know that one day this boy is going to learn about all the things he did in the name of the Dark Lord. He's been foolish. As per pureblood tradition, he had little to do with his own son before his fourth birthday, and by then, it was too late. Draco knew about him; he had been proud of his actions. He had thought he was doing the right thing. He can't help but think Hermione played a large part in his belief change. Every letter Draco wrote home about the Muggleborn keeping him on his toes in lessons, her strength of character when speaking up for her own beliefs, and everything she had done since being married to his son. Every visit Hermione makes to his cell was a reminder of how much better she was than him. She has the ability to forgive, or at least move on from the past, and she has the ability to trust him. Trust him with her child. He's a little over three months old, completely innocent and vulnerable, and yet here he is, lying in his arms.
The flash of the camera shakes the man out of his trance.
Lucius looks up at Hermione. "Thank you for allowing me this." He admits, sincerely. "I did not think I would get to meet him until he was thirteen years old."
"If it was up to Draco, I'm sure you wouldn't, but you've got me in your corner. I want Scorpius to know you. We had initially agreed not to introduce you to him until he was older, but then Draco needed to go about some business, and I was not breaking my promise to you." She explains. "Speaking of, here are your gifts." She pulls three gifts out of his pocket, placing them on his desk.
Using one arm, he reaches out, picking up what he assumes is a new journal. He struggles but gets there in the end, unwrapping the journal, a maroon cover with a silver '2001' embossed in the top corner.
"I'm struggling to believe it is already 2001," he smiles, flicking through the pages. "Thank you."
He moves onto the next present, which is a replacement bottle of ink. He had run out a month ago and had to ask Lexica Park for some. She had been displeased but had given him enough to last him to the new year. When he reaches the last present, he is surprised to find it soft and squishy as he picks it up. He glances to Hermione, who takes another picture of him and laughs. He blinks the flash out of his eyes, returning to the gift. Gently, he unwraps a small cake, slices into four pieces.
"It's Christmas cake." She grins. "I iced it last night. I made one for Narcissa, my parents, my uncle, both my grandparents, the Weasley's and Hyperion's family." She lists impressively. "It's the first time I've made a Christmas cake since I was ten years old, but I tried some and I think it's good." She rambles.
"I suppose I can try a piece now." He sighs. "I have an acquired taste palate. If there is anyone's opinion that you should strive for, it's mine." He smiles, to assure her that he's joking.
Hermione laughs as he takes a bite. Instantly the taste of brandy covers his tongue as he chews on the moist sponge; however, it's not overpowering. The flavours of the currants, sultanas and cranberries are right there with the brandy. He takes another bite, this time with the marzipan and icing, which aren't too sweet, complimenting the cake nicely. He tells Hermione as such. She sighs in relief, blushing slightly at the compliments to her baking.
"Thank you, Lucius, your opinion means a lot. I'm sure you've eaten food by far better chefs. I know Mitty is amazing. I'm looking forward to her dinner this afternoon." She admits.
"You're spending Christmas Eve at the Manor?" He asks.
"Yes, this is the second year. I think it's going to become a sort of tradition. Christmas Eve with you and Narcissa, Christmas Day with my family, then Boxing Day with Hyperion." She tells him, to which he nods.
"How is Narcissa?" He asks, face blank as it usually is when he brings up his wife.
"She is well. She's been a lot more accommodating recently since we had our discussion about whether or not she wanted to be a part of Scorpius' life. We try to visit her once a fortnight; usually, we visit a café in Diagon Alley. I still don't feel too comfortable being in the Manor. Today, Blaise and Pandora, his daughter, is spending Christmas Eve with us. I'll feel more at ease with him there as well." She says.
"Blaise and Luna are still separated?" He asks, picking up on the lack of her name.
"Yes, Luna is somewhere in Canada with her father at the moment, although you probably knew that from the Quibbler. She's supposed to be back for the New Year. Although Blaise has a new girlfriend." She tells him excitedly.
"Really," Lucius's brow furrows as his thinks. "I had assumed most of the women your age were married with the decree. Unless she graduated in the summer?" he asks.
"No, she's a muggle," she smiles.
"A muggle," he raises his eyebrow, but make no other reaction. "I'm not surprised; he always had an interest in visiting nearby muggle villages."
"They've been together four months. I believe he's spending Christmas day with her family tomorrow." She says.
"You are quite the gossip, Ms Granger," Lucius teases her.
"Like you don't love hearing it." She rolls her eyes.
"I admit I enjoy hearing about the world outside of here." He states.
"I have more pictures, if you would like to see them," Hermione offers, taking an envelope out from her coat pocket.
She places them on his desk, holding her arms out for her son, but Lucius shifts his hold on Scorpius into one arm as he goes through each photograph. He pauses for a few moments on each one, taking in the scene. The photographs date from Scorpius' Registration Ceremony to three nights ago when they had gone for supper at Andromeda's cottage, and Scorpius and Teddy had napped on the couch together afterwards.
Lucius asked very few questions, mainly asking who particular people were or where a picture was taken.
"Is that Blaise's muggle friend?" He asks, pointing at the tall blonde woman sat beside Blaise, hand on his thigh as Blaise holds Scorpius in his arms.
"Yes, that's Cara." She confirms.
Lucius nods once, moving on to the next picture. He stops at one photo in particular. It was one of Hermione's favourite. After their Christmas dinner at Hogwarts, Draco had collapsed onto the couch, exhausted. Hermione had placed Scorpius on his chest, leaving for five minutes to make them a cup of tea, when she had returned, they were both asleep. Scorpius' cheek was comfortingly rubbing against his Dad's shirt, and Draco with his hands protectively holding Scorpius' head and bottom in his sleep. Hermione had snapped the picture before throwing a blanket of her two boys and joining them with a book. It had been one of her favourite nights.
"Draco's hair is getting quite long," he finally says.
Hermione hums in agreement. "I told him once I like his hair long, so I think he's been growing it for me. I might give it a little trim before the New Year though." She explains.
"You can cut hair?" He asks, glancing up at her.
"I know the spells. I've done Pansy's hair a few times." She says.
"If it is permitted, would you perhaps cut mine?" He asks, glancing over his shoulder at Mr Ahmed.
"I'll allow it," Mr Ahmed nods.
"You trust me," she laughs.
"If Miss Parkinson trust you with her hair, then I will." Lucius jokes.
"Well, what do you want doing with your hair." She asks, nervously stepping behind her father-in-law where his hair falls down his back.
"It's far too long. Narcissa gave me a cut before my trial. It hasn't been cut since." He explains.
Hermine remembers the pictures of Lucius from the trial in the Daily Prophet. His hair had been cropped to just beneath his shoulders. "I can take it back to your shoulders, where it was at the trial?" She asks, gently collecting his hair.
"Take it all off," he tells her.
Hermione drops his hair, as though it had burnt her. "What?"
"It's more trouble than it is worth in here. I have only just been giving a comb. You can keep it long on top but take it off the sides." He instructs her.
"Are you sure?" She looks at Mr Ahmed, who shrugs unhelpfully.
"Hermione, it will grow back." He assures her.
"Okay," she removes her wand, hand shaking slightly.
Lucius moves Scorpius to sit on the edge of his desk, supporting his head, so his hair doesn't fall onto him.
Hermione first casts a hair smoothing charm to remove the knots, then casts a combing spell. She pauses, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves before taking the first cut, straight across at his shoulders. Seven inches of blond hair falls onto the floor. Her eyes widen, hoping she hasn't made a mistake and glad there isn't a mirror in front of Lucius. Slowly, she uses her fingers to section his remaining hair into the top part that he wants to leave long, and the back and side. She uses a hair tie on her wrist to keep the top-up.
She hadn't used the next spell since cutting the boy hair while camping on their Horcrux hunt. Instead, she transfigures a quill on the desk into a pair of hair scissors, preferring to do this the muggle way, feeling she has more control over the scissors.
She uses his comb as a guide and without overthinking the process, starts cutting as she combs his hair up. The cut looks uniform, so she continues around his head. She keeps about an inch of length on the side and back of his hair, not wanting to cut it too short. Although, she feels it doesn't make much difference as Lucius already looks completely strange with shorter hair.
"I hope you're not having second thoughts?" She asks, half-serious as she lets the top of his hair down.
"Not at all, I'm sure you've done a great job."
Hermione continues, parting the rest of his hair. She cuts each side to match the rest of his hair but keeping it at least four inches long. She casts a hair drying charm to brush the hair from his shoulders and disappears the hair on the floor. Then she stares at her father-in-law in disbelief at what she's just done. For as long as she had known of Lucius Malfoy, he had long hair, down his back. He looked like a completely different person, especially in his black robes instead of his grey Azkaban robes.
"I'm going to have to take another picture of you with Scorpius." She smiles as he turns around in his chair to look at her. "Goodness, you look so much like Hyperion now." She states, eyes still wide.
Lucius takes Scorpius back into his arms, ready for the new picture, which Hermione takes. He then stands up, handing Scorpius back to her before excusing himself to the bathroom.
Hermione looks at Mr Ahmed, "He looks strange with short hair." She says.
The Head of Azkaban smiles and nods in agreement as Lucius returns. "You did a good job." He tells her, running his hand through the top of his hair. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Hermione smiles, still feeling nervous and unsure about her work.
"Ms Granger," Mr Ahmed calls her attention. "I'm afraid I have to be getting back to my office for the Official's shift change," he explains.
Hermione checks her watch, surprised to find its already quarter to one. She's going to be late to the Manor, but hopefully, Draco will be there before them.
"Merry Christmas, Hermione, and Scorpius," Lucius softly strokes the back of his grandson's hand.
"Merry Christmas, Lucius," she leans in, giving the man a small one-armed hug, with Scorpius between them. It's awkward. She doesn't think she's hugged him since last Christmas when she was very much inebriated. "We'll visit again in the New Year, goodbye."
Mr Ahmed and Hermione remain silent as they walk down to the lift. "I'm finding it difficult to visit Lucius as of recent." Mr Ahmed admits as they wait for the lift. Hermione looks at him, waiting for him to continue. "I know of everything he has done, and I know he would have despised me had we met beforehand. You may already know I am a Muggleborn." Hermione nods. "In the past two and a half years, I've spent a lot of time with Mr Malfoy, and, regrettably, I would almost consider him a friend." He admits.
Hermione is surprised, but she understands. "I almost feel the same way. You no doubt, remember my first reaction to meeting Lucius." She chuckles, and Mr Ahmed smiles. "He did despise me, and I even fought against him a few times. I can hardly believe the man I just gave a hair cut to is the same man. He has accepted me as his daughter-in-law, and I prefer him to Narcissa, which is just strange, after everything he has done. At least he seems to feel a level of guilt over what he has done. Narcissa only apologised to me after I threatened to keep Scorpius from her." She explains as they reach the ground floor.
"We are living in strange times," Mr Ahmed smiles, guiding her down to the foyer. "I wish you well for the New Year." He adds.
"And you and your family too. Have a Happy New Year's." She bid him farewell before making her way down the stairs to the outside.
Once outside the gate, she disapparates to the entrance of the Manor, surprised to find it's snowing in Wiltshire, just lightly. She wonders if it's cold enough to set on the ground, as she walks down the path towards the main doors. As they get closer, Draco opens the door for them, a broad smile, taking them both into a warm hug.
"You seem happy," she laughs after he captures her mouth in a quick kiss. "Shall I assume your business meeting went well?" She asks as he helps her remove her jacket.
"Very well," he hangs her coat up.
"What business is this?" Blaise asks, coming out of the living room to greet her.
"He won't say, he's very secretive. Maybe you can get it out of him, Blaise," she hugs her friend, kissing his cheek in greeting. It had been weeks since they had seen each other. "Is Pandora here?" She asks.
"Yes, in the living room with some toys." Blaise gestures to where he had come from.
Draco makes a move to follow after Hermione, but Blaise places a hand on his chest, stopping him.
"What's this all about?" Blaise asks.
"It's nothing," he shakes his head, patting Blaise's hand in a request for him to drop it from his chest.
"It's not nothing if it has Hermione suspicious." Blaise tightens his grip on his friend's shirt.
"It's fine, Blaise," Draco tells him, voice stern and deep.
Blaise stares into his eyes for a prolonged moment before dropping his hand. "I hope you're right because I won't take your side in the divorce." He tells him.
Draco barks a laugh, "I'm serious, Blaise, this time tomorrow, it won't even matter."
"Oh," Understanding coming to Blaise. "It's a present." He whispers in amusement.
"Yeah," Draco smiles as they enter the living room together.
Hermione is sat on the sofa with Narcissa, fussing over Scorpius, who is staring in awe at the fairy lights on the Christmas tree behind the sofa.
"Where have you been my child?" His mother shakes her grandson's little foot. "We've been waiting for you?"
"I had business plans and told Hermione I would meet her here around one o'clock," Draco explains, sitting in a nearby armchair noticing the subtle insult on his wife.
"May I have a cuddle?" She asks, looking at him.
Draco looks at his wife, who agrees, "I need to speak to my husband anyway." She stands, handing Scorpius over, sending a subtle look to Blaise who nods, silently promising to watch over them.
Hermione leads Draco into the library.
"Is everything alright?" He asks curiously. "At Azkaban."
"You're not going to believe this; I'm still shaking." She admits, showing him her hands.
"What happened?" He frowns, taking her hands in his to steady her.
"Lucius asked me to cut his hair. I cut your father's hair. Have you ever seen him with short hair?" Hermione whispers nervously. "I feel like I've done something wrong."
"How short are we talking?" He asks.
"I took a picture." She glances around, remembering her camera is in her coat pocket. "I've seen pictures of him at Hogwarts, and his hair was long."
"The shortest I've seen his hair was the day of his trial." He explains.
"He looks like Hyperion," she admits, reaching up to pull on a long strand of her husband's hair that has fallen from where the rest of his hair is knotted at the back of his head.
"I want to see," he laughs.
"Do you not find it strange that he asked me to cut all his hair off?" She asks, worried about the mental state of her father-in-law.
"I don't need to tell you how vain Lucius used to be. It's a pureblood trait. We're taught from birth to always be as presentable as the occasion allows one to be. For Lucius, his hair was an important part of his overall look. Without Hyperion, I would not know how Lucius would look with short hair." Draco admits.
"I'll show you," Hermione leads Draco to her coat, finding the camera.
She finds the last picture she took of Lucius holding Scorpius and turns it around for Draco to see. He stares at the camera, grabbing hold of her hand to pull the image closer.
"What did you do to him?" He asks, amusement clear in his voice.
"He asked me to; it's not that bad, is it?" She looks back at the picture, now noticing a few places where she had cut the side too short, and the top wasn't even straight.
"What's going on?" Blaise asks, peering out of the living room.
"Look at this," Draco laughs.
"Draco, no," she scrambles for the camera, but with him being taller than her, he holds it above his head where Blaise can easily reach.
Happy to be a part of the joking around, Blaise takes the camera. His smile quickly falters. "What in Merlin's name happened to him?" He askes quietly as not to draw Narcissa's attention.
"He asked me to cut his hair. He said 'take it all off'. I did my best. I'm not a hairdresser." She pouts.
"He looks older." Blaise comments, turning his head to the side.
"Well, you haven't seen him since before the war." Draco points out.
"That's true," he nods. "It suits him. Looks a lot like your uncle." He hands the camera back.
"Hermione!" Narcissa calls from the living room. "I think Scorpius might be hungry."
Hermione rolls her eyes, sending a glare at Draco. "Put that camera away." She tells him as she goes to her son.
Blaise laughs at him as he does as he's told. "You alright?"
"Of course,"
"Really, seeing your father looking like that, holding your son," Blaise raises his eyebrow.
"I tried not to look at that, I hate it, but Hermione thinks it's helping him." He shrugs. "I agreed to it; I have to be okay with it." He shrugs.
Blaise comfortingly pats Draco on the shoulder as they return to the living room, where Hermione is unsuccessfully trying to feed a bottle to Scorpius. On the rug, Pandora waves her arms around excitedly, wanting to be picked up by her father.
"Where is her mother, at the moment?" Narcissa asks Blaise.
"I do believe mummy is Canada." He answers playfully, speaking to his daughter too.
"That's a shame; she's missing Pandora's first Christmas. I suppose it doesn't matter when she's missed much of her daughter's life already. Does Pandora recognise her mother?" Narcissa asks.
"I recognise your concern, Narcissa," Blaise begins, politely. "However, I promised myself after my divorce that no matter how angry or upset I am with Luna, I will not show that in front of Pandora, and I will not bad mouth her in front of our daughter. Luna will always be her mother, and as such, Pandora will not grow up hearing anything against her." He explains.
Narcissa smiles as she excuses herself to check on dinner. Hermione whips her head around to look at Draco, who quickly follows after his mother.
"Don't listen to her; you are an amazing father. Anyone can see that, and I know Luna appreciates everything you do for Pandora." Hermione reassures him.
"I have a lot of help." He shrugs.
"So do Draco and I, accepting help doesn't make you any less of a parent." She tells him.
"I feel guilty about how much help I accept from people, especially Benji and Cara. Benji's in the middle of his degree, and Cara runs her own business." He admits.
"That's just a show of how much they both care about you and Pandora." She smiles. "Draco and I care about the two of you too. I know it's been a while since we've seen each other, but we've been so busy. Christmas is a busy time of year without everything else that's going on in the world."
Blaise's face lights up. "I'm actually planning a triple date thing for the twenty-eight. I've invited Pansy and Ron. I was going to invite you two later." He explains.
"We'd love to. It'll be our first date since Scorpius was born. Although, I'm surprised Pansy agreed to it since she doesn't exactly like Cara." Hermione admits.
"I promised her a night away from the kids, plenty of food and drinks, and convinced her she needs a night out before the second term at Hogwarts starts." He smiles.
"I doubt it took much convincing."
"I had her at plenty of drinks." He jokes.
"Dinner is almost ready." Draco peers around the door. "Mitty has asked us to make our way to the dining room."
"Your wife has just agreed to go on a triple date with Cara, Pansy, Ron and I." Blaise teases.
"Why?" He asks Hermione.
"Draco," she warns him.
"Pansy agreed?" He frowns.
"Yes." Blaise nods.
"Fine," he sighs, leading the way to the dining room.
Narcissa is already sat at the head of the table. On her right side are two seats for Draco and Hermione, along with a Moses basket for Scorpius. On Narcissa's left side is a seat for Blaise, and a child's highchair for Pandora, since she can confidently sit independently. They chat amicably until their dinner appears on the table in their respective places. On Pandora's plate are a small pile of mashed potatoes and mashed carrots.
"We started her on pureed food, although she still loved her bottles of milk before naps and bedtime." Blaise smiles down at his daughter, handing her a child spoon for her to help herself.
Dinner is full of laughter as most of Pandora's dinner ends up on the floor, table and her face instead of her mouth. As usual, and as expected, their Christmas dinner is delicious, all thanks to Mitty. Once finished, Hermione takes Scorpius down into the kitchen to introduce him to Mitty. She had promised the house-elf she would be able to meet and hold him soon.
As soon as Mitty sees Hermione and the bundle in her arms, she drops the towel in her hands, running over to greet them.
"Young master Scorpius," Mitty grins, climbing onto the stool beside Hermione.
"There's no need to call him 'young master'," she reminds Mitty. "'Scorpius is fine'."
"Scorpius is most beautiful baby Mitty ever seen, even master Draco," she admits, until she realises, she's offended her master and her fingers flex, fighting the urge to harm herself in punishment since Draco had banned her from doing so.
"Would you like to hold Scorpius?" Hermione asks, distracting her.
"Hermione let Mitty hold Scorpius?" She asks, surprised.
"Of course," Hermione smiles, although her son is getting bigger every day and soon, he won't be much smaller than Mitty.
Hermione places Scorpius on Mitty's lap, positioning the small house-elf's arms to protect his head.
"Mitty love Scorpius," she cries, tears rolling down her face.
Hermione's chest clenches. She wishes she could get Mitty out of the Manor, but Kingsley had banned the use of house-elves in the Estate, claiming housework and cooking were great ways for the new couples to bond. Technically, they only had to stay on the Estate until the birth of their first child, but neither she nor Draco had brought up the prospect of moving into their own place anytime soon. Perhaps in the New Year, she would bring it up.
Back in the living in the room, Hermione finds Narcissa rearranging the presents beneath the tree. She has moved the sofa to the side of the room, opening the room up to both the tree and the fireplace.
"Where are the boys?" She asks, her husband and Blaise missing.
"They're placing Pandora down for a nap in my private lounge." She explains, sitting delicately on her sofa. "Is Scorpius in need of a nap?" She asks.
"I'd prefer to keep him awake until we get to my uncle's house. We have a Christmas Eve family tradition. We all gather together for a Christmas Eve buffet, and the children are allowed to open one present, which is always a pair of pyjamas they wear that night. As I've gotten older, I've come to favour Christmas Eve over the day." She admits.
"That sounds lovely. I thank you for including me in your Christmas Eve traditions." She smiles sincerely.
Draco and Blaise return from settling Pandora down.
"What are your plans for tomorrow, Blaise?" Hermione asks as Draco sits beside her, taking Scorpius into his lap, playing with his little feet.
"I'm meeting Cara and her family at their house around lunchtime, so Benji and I are having breakfast together and some presents before we go our separate ways. He doesn't have much family nearby, so he and a few of his friends are getting together for a group dinner at a restaurant." Blaise explains.
Hermione doesn't comment on the fact he spoke more of his flatmate's day than his own.
"If our day is anything like last year, we'll be in bed asleep by eight o'clock." Draco reminds her.
"It's a busy day," Hermione sighs.
"It's once a year, and it's the culmination of your favourite time of the year." He mentions.
Hermione laughs. He was right. No matter how much she complained about the day, she still loved it. The whole month was full of joy, warmth and excitement; she wasn't ready for it to be over yet.
"Shall we move on to presents, since you all seem to have other engagements to attend to tonight," Narcissa announces, accioing a small box to Draco.
"Thank you, Mother," he takes the box in his hands, keeping an eye on his son.
"It's not for you, it's for Scorpius," she corrects him.
Draco smiles, unwrapping the gift. Inside the box is a small silver band bracelet. Engraved into the metal are three snakes entwined together in a plait like pattern, ending with the three heads cuddled together. On the inside is the initial 'SHM'.
He looks up at his mother in surprise as he passes the box over to Hermione for her to inspect.
"Are these snakes, us?" Hermione asks, curiously turning the band slowly in her hands. "The middle one is the smallest, being protected by the two larger snakes."
"Regardless of which house belonged to and which house Scorpius will belong to, snakes have always been an important image for the Malfoy family. I would like Scorpius to have a part of that." Narcissa explains.
"SHM," Hermione mutters, smiling softly. She knows Narcissa isn't particularly fond of expressing her feelings, but this gift speaks louder than anything she could have said. It shows how she is finally fully excepting Scorpius as part of her family, but not only Scorpius, she is excepting Hyperion as a part of her son's life. "Thank you, Narcissa. It's beautiful." She places the bracelet on her son's left wrist.
Scorpius waves his left hand around, playing with the bracelet as it spins on his wrist.
"He likes it," she tells Narcissa, who is watching on fondly.
"I'm glad."
It takes them nearly an hour for everyone to hand out and open their gifts. Hermione takes pictures with her camera, wanting to document Scorpius' first Christmas Eve. Draco, Hermione and Scorpius leave with Blaise and Pandora just after five o'clock, each leaving for their next destination.
The Malfoy's apparate to David's house, where they find a note on the front door informing them to join him in the garden. Under a foldable gazebo, Sophie is lying on a reclining garden chair, wrapped up in a blanket and reading a book while her dad is cooking corn cobs and party sausages on a barbecue nearby.
"It's not exactly the right weather for a barbecue, is it David?" Draco asks, ducking under David's massive golf umbrella, shielding the meat from the soft flurries of snow falling from the sky.
David laughs sarcastically, passing the tongs and umbrella to Draco and leaving to greet his great-nephew. Draco discreetly casts an umbrella charm over the whole garden, protecting them from the snow and wind, as he keeps an eye on the meats.
"What time is everyone else arriving?" Hermione akss her uncle, handing Scorpius over for a cuddle.
"Half-seven, as usual, I just want to get the food we can eat cold cooked and out of the way before your grandad gets here and takes over." David states. "If you and Draco want a nap, the spare bedroom is all made up ready for tonight. I can keep an eye on Scorpius." He adds.
"I think we might," Hermione watches Draco turn a corn cob over with the tongs. He's stood as far back from the grill as he can, presumably trying not to dirty his suit. He might appreciate getting changed into something less fancy, especially since the house is going to be overrun by children in the next two hours. "Thanks, David."
Hermione takes Draco's wrist, "Come on, we're going for a nap." She tells him.
"A nap?" His eyebrows raise suggestively, returning the tongs to the handle of the barbecue.
Hermione leads them up to the top floor, into the spare bedroom.
"Are we actually going to nap?" Draco asks, leaning against the closed door smugly, having repeated his exact words from last Christmas Eve.
Rolling her eyes, Hermione leans in for a kiss, pressing her body against her husband's as her hands tangle in his hair, pulling him closer. When they pull back, Draco looks amused.
"What?"
"At least that kiss didn't hurt," he tells her, his hands still on her waist from the kiss.
Hermione groans, pushing herself away from him. She sits on the edge of the bed, taking off her boots. "To answer your question, yes, we actually are going to nap. I'm exhausted."
"We don't have any contraceptive potion anyway," he reminds her, following her onto the bed to remove his own shoes along with his blaze, tie and shirt.
"Exactly," she smiles, unfastening her dress and stepping out of the garment, and into the bed. "That doesn't mean you can't kiss me," she adds, her face barely visible beneath the duvet.
Draco laughs, climbing under the covers with her. "Where are you?" He whispers.
"Come find me," she giggles, so unlike herself but enjoying the moment.
He reaches out his hand, finding her hip, and so he starts there, kissing his way up from her pelvis bone up her stomach, chest, neck and jaw until he reaches his desired location—her soft pink lips.
"I like this shade of lipstick on you," he comments after a soft peck.
"Shut up," she blushes, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him back down to continue their kiss, embracing their love for each other.
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