A/N - This is the first of 2 festive one shots I'll be publishing this month. This one is just a cute bit of Malfoy family fluff. Enjoy!
Hermione Malfoy gazed out of the bedroom window at Malfoy Manor, wondering if the picture-perfect covering of light snow on the grounds was real, or if magic was involved. Hermione had been with her husband, Draco, for ten years now and every year the manor seemed to be treated to a festive covering of snow. The first year she and Draco were together, Hermione had assumed the snow covering was natural as there had been snow in certain parts of the country, but she'd started to wonder about the snow when every year the manor was covered in the stuff in perfect time for Christmas. And this year was no exception it would seem as right on cue the snow had appeared.
It was the day before Christmas Eve, and the family would be gathering for the Christmas festivities at the manor. As always, Draco's best friend, Blaise Zabini, his wife, Daphne and their son, Alex, would be joining the Malfoys. And this year, Hermione's parents, Richard and Jean Granger, would also be spending the holidays with them. Her mother had been ill for the last few months with a serious heart condition, and although the doctors seemed confident they were on top of her condition there was still an element of fear for Hermione that her mother might not have long left, so she was determined to spend as much time as possible with her mother, just in the case the worst did happen.
"I'm off," Draco's voice suddenly called from behind Hermione, distracting her from the wintry view.
"Off?" Hermione turned around with a confused frown. "Where exactly are you off to? Everyone is arriving for the holidays this morning."
"I know, but I am off to arrange a very special Christmas treat," Draco replied with a grin. "Trust me, you will love it. I am going to give the children a treat they will never forget."
"Okay, in that case I won't cause a fuss about you leaving before everyone has arrived," Hermione conceded. "By the way, do you know if the snow is real or not? There's been snow at the manor every year since we've been together, and I'm convinced it's not all genuine. But Lucius always claims it is whenever I ask him about it."
"Your guess is as good as mine," Draco replied with a laugh. "We've had snow at Christmas for as long as I can remember. Like you, I suspect father has a hand in it, but if he does, he's keeping quiet."
Allowing her husband to be off to organise his Christmas treat, and wondering if she could get her father-in-law to admit to playing a part in the white Christmas they seemed to enjoy every year, Hermione headed off to check the children were up and dressed. Of course with Christmas just around the corner, five year old Scorpius and his four year old sister, Lyra, were not only up and dressed, but raring to get the day started. Escorting the children down for breakfast, Hermione was shocked to find Lucius had popped into the office.
"He'll be back later," Narcissa assured her. "He just wants to make sure everything is sorted before the holidays."
If the children missed their father and grandfather they didn't mention it. Although they hardly had time to miss either Draco or Lucius as no sooner had they finished breakfast than the first of their guests arrived. Blaise, Daphne and Alex, who was Scorpius's best friend and only two days younger than him, were the first to arrive, and while they were settling in, Hermione went to pick up her parents, who were laden down with presents for everyone, in particular their grandchildren.
"They really are getting spoiled," Hermione remarked as she stacked the presents from her parents under the large tree in the front room of the manor.
"It's what grandchildren are for," Jean remarked with a chuckle.
"I couldn't agree more, Jean," Narcissa said, having entered the room in time to hear Hermione's complaint and her mother's response. "How are you doing?" she asked as she greeted Hermione's parents.
"Just fine," Jean replied with a warm smile. "Although I have to say, it's a nice change not to have to cook Christmas lunch. I am looking forward to a few days of complete relaxation."
"You'll not get that with the children around," Hermione laughed. "Speaking of the children, where are they?"
"Daphne is setting them up in the dining room with some crafts," Narcissa explained. "They've got baubles to paint and cookies to decorate. And I think they're even going to make paper streamers. It should keep them busy most of the morning."
Narcissa was right, and all morning the three children, and the big kid that was Blaise, were content to spend the morning crafting. After a light lunch, they then headed into the living room to hang the newly painted baubles on the tree and put the handmade streamers up on the ceiling. Blaise was just using magic to place the last of the streamers on the ceiling when the sound of jingle bells drifted through the open door, followed by a hearty Ho, Ho, Ho.
"Santa!" Scorpius cried, leading the charge from the living room.
Totally baffled, Hermione looked around at the other adults, and they all seemed as bemused as she was. Wanting to know what was going on, they hurried out of the living room and were greeted by the sight of Santa Claus standing in the front hallway, a large sack of presents beside him and three excited children jumping up and down beside him.
"Merry Christmas," Santa boomed in a clearly magical altered voice, his grey eyes glittering merrily.
As Narcissa ushered Santa and the children into the front room, Hermione smiled to herself as she realised what was going on. This was clearly her husband's Christmas treat for the children. Usually Scorpius and Lyra went to see Santa with her parents, but with her mother not being well, the trip hadn't happened as usual. So instead, Draco had made sure Santa had come to them.
Extremely touched by her husband's sweet gesture, especially as she knew he didn't like dressing up, especially in red, Hermione joined in the fun in the living room. Santa's sack was rapidly being emptied, and it contained presents for everyone, although it was heavily weighted in the children's favour. As for Santa himself, he was content to sit beside the tree with the three children clambering all over him. Although he did indulge in a warm mince pie and a glass of Lucius's finest firewhisky.
"Santa, can you read us a story?" Lyra asked, almost an hour into Santa's visit.
"Of course," Santa replied in his booming voice.
"Lyra, why don't you go and get the Night Before Christmas," Jean suggested. It was a muggle storybook she and Richard had bought for Scorpius for his first Christmas, as it had been tradition for them to read it to Hermione every year when she was little, and it was a tradition that continued with Scorpius and Lyra.
While Lyra ran off upstairs to get the book, with Scorpius and Alex tagging along in search of more books in case Santa wanted to read more than one story, Hermione used the opportunity to sidle up to Santa.
"Thank you," she said quietly, pecking Santa's cheek affectionately. "This is the perfect Christmas treat for the children. And tonight, I'll make sure you get a Christmas treat of your own." When Santa opened his mouth to reply, Hermione placed a finger over his lips and slid onto his lap. "I'm thinking a nice long bubble bath, followed by a bit of unwrapping of your own. I can wear that revealing little black number you like so much. I know how much you like to take that off me."
Santa's eyes widened comically under his hat and beard, and chuckling Hermione leant forward to give her husband a kiss. However, just before her lips touched his, she heard his usual voice wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Whipping her head around, she found her husband standing in the doorway of the living room. Confused she turned back around to the Santa whose lap she was sitting on, only to find him laughing at her.
"Oh my god," she cried, jumping to her feet as she realised whose lap she'd been sitting on, and more importantly what sort of promises she's made to him.
"What's going on?" Daphne asked as everyone turned towards Hermione and Santa.
"Hermione was just thanking me for visiting," Santa replied, his voice still enchanted to be deeper than normal. Although he quickly removed his hat and beard, revealing Lucius hiding underneath, before replacing them in case the children returned and their illusions were shattered. "And what a thank you she has planned," he added with a wink.
"I thought you were Draco," Hermione cried.
"You seriously thought I would wear that thing?" Draco snorted, giving his father a disdainful glance. "I don't do dressing up, I don't do white beards and fat suits and I most certainly don't do red."
"But you said you were organising a Christmas treat the children will never forget," Hermione argued. "And they will never forget Santa visiting them at home."
"I thought it would be nice since they didn't get to go and see him in the muggle world this year," Lucius said, flashing a warm smile in Jean's direction.
"It's perfect, Lucius," Jean said happily.
"And my treat is outside," Draco said. "Although father's treat just makes it even more magical."
Wondering what her husband could mean, Hermione crossed to the window and peered outside. Standing in front of the manor was a large sleigh, pulled by four reindeers. There was a man dressed as a muggle style elf, tending to the reindeers, and Hermione wondered how much her husband had paid him to dress up.
"Draco, that is amazing," Hermione gasped. A sleigh ride would have been amazing at any time, but combined with Lucius's treat, it would now be a sleigh ride with Santa.
"Perfect," Richard chuckled as everyone crossed to the window to see what Draco's treat was.
"You couldn't have done this better if you'd co-ordinated it," Narcissa chuckled as the sound of running feet reached their ears.
Moments later the children burst back into the room. Lyra was carrying the storybook, but Scorpius and Alex also had books and Scorpius was also carrying a toy dragon.
"Will you read now?" Lyra asked Santa, barely even acknowledging her father had arrived.
"Later on," Lucius replied in his booming Santa voice. "But first, we have another treat for you. But you have to all wrap up."
If Hermione has told the children to wrap up, she knew they would have argued, especially Lyra who hated hats, scarves and gloves. But because it was Santa who issued the command, the children happily pulled on their winter woollies without complaint. Once they were wrapped up, Draco opened the front doors and led the way out to the sleigh.
"Reindeers," Lyra called excitedly as she ran over to them.
"Cool," Scorpius said, gazing at the sleigh in awe.
"Can they fly?" Alex asked Santa.
"Of course they can fly," Lucius replied. "But not today. Reindeers only fly on Christmas Eve. The other days they have to rest, or else they won't have the strength to fly when they need to, and some children might miss out on presents."
"But they can still take you for a ride," Draco said. "Santa, you and mother can get in the front with your elf, and the children can get in the back and take Nana Jean and Grandpa Richard with them."
Excitedly they children climbed into the back of the sleigh, with the help of the elf. Richard and Jean then settled themselves on either side of the children and a blanket was tucked around their legs. Lucius and Narcissa meanwhile had climbed into the front of the sleigh, and once everyone was set, the elf climbed aboard and the sleigh began to move as he told the children which of Santa's elves were giving them their sleigh ride that afternoon.
"That is brilliant," Blaise remarked as they watched the sleigh take off for what Draco informed them was a two-hour ride around the manor grounds.
"It's so special," Daphne agreed. "The children will remember it forever."
"I would love to say that was the idea, but I had no idea what father was going to do," Draco said. "And I have to say, his little escapade makes my treat even better."
Knowing the children and their escorts would be gone a while, the two couples headed back into the warmth of the manor. However, before Hermione could follow her friends back into the living room, her husband stopped her.
"Now, just how exactly did you promise to thank father?" he asked with a teasing smile.
"I didn't know it was your father, I thought it was you," Hermione protested.
"So what sort of thank you was I supposed to be getting?" Draco pressed.
"I promised a Christmas treat of your own. I think I mentioned a bubble bath, and I promised to wear that black underwear you like."
"You mean the underwear that leaves nothing to the imagination?" Draco checked with wide eyes.
"Yes, I said you could unwrap me," Hermione replied in a quiet voice.
"Technically, you invited father to unwrap you," Draco retorted.
"You're not going to let me forget this, are you?" Hermione groaned.
"Now why would I let you forget the time you sat on my father's lap and propositioned him?" Draco laughed. "It's too good to forget. Although I should be offended that you honestly thought I would dress up as that muggle mad man, Santa."
"I thought you were doing something nice for our children," Hermione pointed out, ignoring the dig about Santa being a mad man. Draco and his parents had initially struggled with the muggle elements of Christmas that she'd wanted the children to grow up with, but to give them credit they had embraced the muggle traditions for the children's sake, and as this year proved, they were also willing to go out of their way to help give the children a magical experience based on the stories muggles told their children at Christmas time.
"I did do something nice for our children," Draco countered. "Something that didn't involve me getting dressed up in a red suit, I might add. So I should still get a treat of my own tonight."
"I'll think about it," Hermione replied as she turned to head into the living room. "I'm sure your mother can deliver on my promise to your father. Something tells me he would much rather unwrap her anyway."
Chuckling at the groan that came from her husband, Hermione headed into the living room, leaving Draco with the reminder that anything she had promised to Lucius, however unwittingly, Narcissa was more than capable of delivering. Santa would definitely be getting a treat that evening, it would just be coming from a different Mrs Malfoy than the one who had sat on his lap and whispered naughtily in his ear.
The End.