A/N: I think this is my favourite chapter so far :) I hope you like it!

We have now caught up with how far I am on AO3, so there won't be a new chapter each day anymore, but if I manage to keep up the tempo, there will still be about three chapters per week.

Chapter 9

There was absolutely nothing worse than Christmas shopping for people who could literally afford everything they could possibly want. Therefore, Hermione decided to find something they didn't know they wanted and the only place she would find that was a Muggle shop. Or several.

Her feet hurt when she finally got home, but she had been successful and was pretty proud of herself. The gifts weren't expensive at all, but she decided that didn't matter because she would never be able to afford what the Malfoys would possibly consider expensive anyway. So it had to be the thought that counted.

But she was happy with her choices while she sat on her kitchen table with a cup of hot chocolate, wrapping the gifts in pretty red and silver wrapping paper.

For Narcissa she had bought a leather-bound book with Beethoven piano notes. She had told Hermione once that she loved playing and Lucius had added that she was really good at it. Beethoven was Hermione's favourite composer and she was sure Narcissa would like the music. That had actually been the easiest gift to find.

Finding something for Lucius had been considerably more difficult. She had considered something funny at first, for example the letter opener she had seen that resembled the sword of Gryffindor. But no, he'd find it amusing, but he'd never use it and it wasn't her intention to buy something that would just vanish in a drawer. Several other possibilities were dismissed. Then it had occurred to her that he had shown interest in scientific aspects of their research, and she decided on a book on the origins of the universe and evolution of life on earth. It was apparently thorough, but supposedly easy to understand for non-scientists. Since he had also once admitted that the pens she used in her office were rather practical, she went into a stationary shop next and bought a beautifully made and high-quality fountain pen.

Then there was Draco and he was the sole reason her feet hurt. She couldn't decide what to get him. Nothing seemed good enough and it was so frustrating! Until she finally found what she had been looking for. In a small antique shop she found a silver knife. She was reasonably sure that it had been made for potions making and had somehow found its way into the Muggle word. That wasn't a problem, because there wasn't anything magical about that knife, but all potioneers had silver knives because for some potions certain ingredients had to be cut or crushed with them and this one was beautiful. The handle ended in a snake's head with amethysts as eyes and there was a D engraved on both sides where handle and blade met. A nice coincidence and she hoped Draco would like it. It was considerably more expensive than the books, but it was just too perfect to leave it there and to be perfectly honest, she also didn't want to start searching again. She was more than willing to pay a price for not having to shop anymore.

The next day was the last day of work this year, the day before Christmas Eve, and she wouldn't see the Malfoys, so she borrowed Ministry owls to send the gifts to the Manor. She also sent a gift to George, and that was that this year.

The next day in the early afternoon she sat by the fireplace and read a book – one she had borrowed from the Manor library.

It was nice, comfortable … and also the first Christmas of her life she was spending alone.
She was trying not to think about that when the flames in her fireplace suddenly turned green. "Hermione? Can I come through?"

That was Draco's voice. She grabbed her wand, lifted the wards and he stepped out, carrying a large package and two smaller ones and placed all of them on the living room table. "Hello and happy Christmas."

Hermione smiled, it was so nice to see him, especially since she had expected to spend the whole day on her own. "Happy Christmas! I guess that was a bit much even for your eagle owls?"

"You could say that." He put one of the smaller gifts aside. "That one is from father and can wait until Christmas Morning." Then pointed to the big one. "That's from me and I'll have to ask you to please open it now, I packed it not even five minutes a go and I already feel bad. You will need to open mother's today, too." He pointed at the other smaller one.

"Ok." He looked at him suspiciously. "Do I have to worry?"

"I don't think so." He did look a little nervous, though, as if he wasn't sure she would like it.

She leaned forward curiously and saw that the big box wasn't really sealed in any way, she just had to lift the cover and so she did just that. As soon as it was gone, a small, fluffy, light-grey head with pointy ears and bright orange eyes popped up, followed by another one, a little more hesitantly. The second one was black with green eyes. The black kitten let out a scared little miaow and Hermione's heart melted right on the spot.

"Hello babies," she cooed and lifted them both out of the box and into her lap. They were warm and soft and immediately cuddled up against her, purring loudly. She did her very best not to burst into tears. "They're beautiful," she somehow managed and gave Draco a watery smile. "Thank you so much!"

He returned her smile warmly, walked around the table and sat down next to her on the sofa. "I'm glad you like them." He patted the grey one's head gently.

"What kind of monster wouldn't like them?" She scratched the black kitten behind the ear and it closed its eyes and leaned into the touch. She was sure she was smiling like an idiot and she couldn't have cared less.

He grinned. "They're both boys and they don't have names yet." He took the package of which he had earlier stated that it was from Narcissa. "Do you mind, if I open it for you? You seem to have your hands full."

She laughed and nodded. "Please do."

He did and it contained everything the cats would need in miniature form – enough food to sustain them over the holidays and probably a bit longer, bowls for food and water, toys, treats, two beds, two litter boxes and cat litter and even a cat tree. Draco got it all out of the box, carefully put it on the ground and then the items were back to their original size. For a moment she remembered Pansy talking about Lucius performing wandless and non-verbal spells. Apparently, he had taught his son well. You didn't get to that level at Hogwarts; probably because many students would never reach it. She would have to ask Draco at some point how he did it. Hermione hardly used verbal magic, but she had never put much focus on wandless magic, let alone such focused wandless magic.
Draco turned back to her, still smiling. "That should be everything you need for the next week or two."

"Thank you! And please thank Narcissa from me, too. And Lucius, for whatever it is."

"I have no idea what it is. He refused to get involved with the cats and so he got his own gift. When I told mother that I'd get you the cats, she volunteered to get whatever else you need for them." He shrugged. "It didn't work out well for him, though, I had to pick them up two days ago because the woman I bought them from wanted to visit family over the holidays and for two days they were following father around all the time. So much for not getting involved."

She laughed, she could just imagine Lucius' face

"Anyway," Draco continued. "They use the litter box and shouldn't give you any trouble."

Hermione grinned. "Cats always come up with some mischief and I love that about them."

The grey kitten apparently had enough cuddles and bravely, if somewhat clumsily, jumped off her lap and began to explore his new home. The black one was more hesitant, but chose to follow his brother.

Draco helped her set up the litter boxes, the cat tree and she filled the bowls with food and water, which was ignored for now, since everything else in the flat seemed to be more interesting.

"I think I'll name them Zeus and Hades," Hermione said thoughtfully as they watched the cats climb the armchair. She didn't explain further, it was pretty obvious that the black one was Hades. Zeus got to the top first and playfully tapped his slightly smaller brother on the head until he fell down again.

"Perfect," Draco said dryly. "Zeus doesn't want Hades on Mount Olympus and casts him down into the Underworld." They both laughed as Hades complained loudly.

Still ginning, Draco turned his head to look at her. "Well, I'm sure you have plans and I don't want to keep you. Happy Christmas again."

"You're not keeping me. My plan consists of reading and eating biscuits." She tried to sound cheerful. "And cat cuddles, if they decide they need a break." She spontaneously hugged him, which was returned immediately; his arms felt nice around her. "Happy Christmas. And thank you again. I love them."

He let go of her, but didn't immediately turn to the fireplace. "You're spending Christmas alone?"

She shrugged. "Well, yes. I usually went to the Burrow with Ron, but I'm actually glad I don't have to do that anymore." While she had enjoyed being at the Burrow as a child, it had later become more and more of an obligation, especially at Christmas. With everyone in the house, it had been crowded, loud, unruly, Molly had usually found something to be angry or judgemental about, Arthur had tried to keep the peace at all cost and Hermione had been exhausted by the end of the day.

"While I understand that … Would you like to come to the Manor instead? It's an upgrade, compared to the Burrow." He laughed as she gave him a scolding look. "It's not my fault it's shabby!"

"It's not their fault they're poor!" The defence came automatically. She didn't even know why she said it; a habit perhaps.

"Oh, come on, you know that's not true. If they had stopped after one child or two, they could have lived perfectly comfortably. Arthur Weasley has been working for the Ministry ever since he graduated Hogwarts, he earns more than many others who live better than them. It's the number of mouths they had to feed that made them poor. And with all of them out of the house, I'm sure they're doing quite alright, even if Molly Weasley is so used to feeling sorry for herself that she's still whining." She couldn't really argue with that, so she wisely kept her mouth shut. "But I meant it, spend Christmas with us. It's just us, too, no formal party or anything. And for dinner, the house elves usually cook so much we could spontaneously feed ten more people."

Hermione quickly shook her head. "I really don't want to impose. I'll be fine, I promise."

"You're not imposing. We'd love for you to come. These two will be fine on their own for a few hours." He nodded in the general direction of the cats, who had grown bored with the armchair and were now walking towards the bedroom.

She hesitated. It did sound nice. "Are you sure your parents won't mind?"

Draco snorted. "I may be in danger of disinheritance, if they find out I knowingly left you alone here for Christmas. They may decide they went wrong somewhere in my upbringing and it's not too late to try again."

Laughing, she shook her head. "That sounds quite dramatic."

He kept a perfectly straight face. "It is. I'll be poorer than the Weasleys and I will have to mass-brew Pepper-Up-Potion after all."

"I can't be responsible for that."

"That's what I'm saying."

"Alright." She hoped it wasn't the wrong decision, but spending Christmas alone was a rather depressing outlook. "Just give me a moment to get changed."

"Why? I'd say a jumper with a teddy in a Father Christmas outfit is perfect for the occasion."

"I'm sure Lucius will think so, too. He'll still talk about it in summer."

Draco laughed. "That's entirely possible."

Grinning, Hermione went to the bedroom, where the cats were exploring a drawer she had apparently left open. She let them, it only contained socks, the worst thing that could happen was for them to carry them around the flat, nothing an Accio couldn't fix. She quickly changed into a still comfortable, but more presentable outfit, gave the cats one more pet, promising to be back in a few hours, and went back to the living room.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

They went through the fireplace and Draco led her upstairs, past the library, but not all the way to the sunroom, where she had joined Narcissa for tea a few more times when the older woman had found her in the library.

Draco stopped in front of one the many doors, knocked and opened the door. She understood that this had to be Lucius' and Narcissa's rooms and she now entered the sitting area. It was tastefully decorated for Christmas, Narcissa's doing, of course, and the big tree next to the window was beautiful. Nothing about it was tacky, all decorations had the same colour theme: Ice blue and silver.
There was a sofa, two armchairs and a table close to the fireplace and on the table, there were three cups of what smelled wonderfully like hot spiced wine and a plate of biscuits.

Lucius and Narcissa were sitting on the sofa and she had never seen them so informal, so casual.

Lucius was sitting on the far end and Narcissa next to him, her upper body leaning curled up against her husband, her feet on the sofa, one of Lucius' arms around her. In his free hand he held a book from which he had apparently just read out loud. Hermione loved that. She had done that with her parents, too, the telly had often stayed off, especially on Christmas, and instead they had read short stories or poems to each other, sometimes even whole novels (not all on a single day, of course). It did have its advantages that tellies and other entertainment devices didn't work in Wizarding homes.

Narcissa now untangled herself from Lucius and sat up straight. "Hermione, it's lovely to see you."

"Already tired of the cats?"

"No, Lucius, absolutely not, they're adorable. And it's lovely to see you, too, Narcissa. I hope you don't mind me being here."

"Since Christmas at the Burrow is happily a thing of the past, she didn't have any plans, so I invited her over," Draco explained while sitting down on one of the armchairs.

Lucius gestured to the other one. "Make yourself comfortable, then."

Narcissa nodded in agreement, sat back down and resumed her previous position. "Bimsy."

The house elf appeared and Hermione had to supress a grin when she saw the reindeer socks on her ears, the otherwise formal uniform with the family crest made it even more hilarious. "Yes, Mistress?" She gave Hermione a broad smile. "Hello, Miss!"

Due to the many hours spent in the library, Hermione was familiar with each one of the five house elves and knew that Bimsy was the one who had been in the household longest and therefore somewhat managed the work of the others. "Hello, Bimsy!"

"Please bring another mulled wine for Hermione," Narcissa said. "She will also have dinner with us, so please set the table for one more person later."

She bowed, apparated away and moments later a cup appeared in front of Hermione. The wine smelled delicious.

The day flew by and Hermione had a great time. They talked, drank mulled wine and ate biscuits, Lucius read to them for a while, then they had dinner. This was so much more the kind of Christmas Hermione enjoyed than a big gathering. And the lack of Celina Warbeck's music was one of Hermione's highlights. If she never had to listen to her cheesy Christmas songs again, it would still be too soon.

Now, after a wonderful dinner with several courses and the most amazing dessert Hermione had ever had, Draco proposed a short walk in the garden. He gave her one of his coats, which was too big for her, but warm, and they went outside. There was no snow cover, like there had been in Paris two weeks ago, but it was dry and cold, not muddy. The ground was frozen and when she looked up at one of the decorative hedges, a peacock was curiously watching them from above.

"Careful, he's trying to figure out whether we're easy prey."

Hermione chuckled. "I'm sure he is."

The peacock looked offended, made a screeching noise, flew down on the other side of the hedge and vanished.

It was strange, she thought, how comfortable she was here now. It was hard to connect this place with the terrible memories from five years go.

"Thank you for convincing me to come. I had a great day."

Draco smiled. "Glad to hear. Me too. You should make this a new Christmas tradition."

"I'd like that," she said quietly.

"I never asked, did you find a dress in Paris? Or did Pansy drive you crazy?"

Hermione had the feeling that what he was really asking was whether she had gotten along with his two friends. "Not at all. I found one and I absolutely love it. And no, I'm not going to tell you what it looks like," she added at his curious glance. "And we had a great time. And actual snow."

"Snow is overrated."

"It's not!"

"If you say so." He didn't sound convinced. "Pansy, Blaise, Daphne, Theo and I usually get together on Fridays or Saturdays, sometimes we even go to Muggle London to see a film or something. You can come sometime, if you'd like."

"I'd love to."

"Good, I'll let you know when we go next time."

It was a beautiful clear night and out here on the countryside of Wiltshire, you could actually still see the stars, other than in London, and it was perfectly quiet, except for the occasional peacock call.

On Hermione's request, Draco told her a little of the history of the Manor and it was actually really interesting.

"Oh, and if you're interested, I can show you the catacombs sometime. They're actually really beautiful. All marble."

"Catacombs?"

"Yes. Behind the main house, close to the woods. All my ancestors since the time of William I are buried there. It's actually a miracle we don't have ghosts here."

"And they're probably turning in their graves, knowing that a muggle-born is on the grounds," she said in an amused voice.

"Probably." Draco shrugged. "But you know what they say about glass houses and stones. At least one of them really wanted to marry a Muggle.

"Really?" She looked at him in mock horror. "Scandalous!"

"Very! It was in the 16th century. His name was also Lucius, and you have definitely heard of the woman." She gave him a curious look and he grinned. "Queen Elizabeth I."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. He basically stalked her, even tried a love potion, which went wrong because she obviously had a food taster. She didn't want him and it was later said that he cursed her so she would never marry. That is, to this day, denied by our family. And before you ask, I don't know if it's true and I don't think anyone except for Lucius I himself ever has."

Hermione chuckled. "You can't say your family history is boring."

"Absolutely not."

With the size of the Manor grounds, it actually counted as a nice walk, but now they were slowly heading back to the front entrance of the Manor. They went in and were immediately enveloped by pleasant warmth. For Muggles, keeping such a huge building warm would be a task, and an expensive one, but thanks to magic, this was obviously not an issue.

Draco helped her out of the borrowed coat.

"I should go and see, if Zeus and Hades have already managed to get into trouble."

He chuckled. "You probably should."

She said her goodbyes to Lucius and Narcissa and Draco once more accompanied her to the fireplace. It seemed perfectly natural when they hugged before she left for home.

She looked around her flat and smiled warmly when she found the two kittens curled up in her bed. Apparently, she wouldn't have to sleep alone tonight.

The next day she got up - rather late, because the cats wanted start the day with a cuddle and she had missed that so much since Crookshanks had died -, gave the two of them fresh food and water and made herself a cup of tea.

Cup in hand, she went to the living room and her eyes fell on the package Draco had left for her on the table. The gift from Lucius.

Well, it was Christmas morning.

She put the cup on the table, took the gift and removed the wrapping.

For a moment she forgot to breathe. In her hands she held a book, but not any book. It was a first edition – almost 200 years old and in pristine condition – of the book they had discussed the deeper meaning of months ago.

She saw a small piece of parchment looking out of the book. Almost reverently, she opened it and was once more shocked to see that it was signed by the author. This was probably worth more than her entire flat. She took the parchment and immediately recognised Lucius' handwriting.

Hermione,

Upon rereading, I found that you may have had a point. I shall console myself with the fact that Draco is still wrong. I hope you enjoy this edition.

Happy Christmas,

Lucius

~tbc~