A/N: Hello people and thank you so much for your support; a lil Christmas addition for us today!
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Life had changed much and more since first Harry had returned after the war. Voldemort was dead, the bulk of his followers were dead or in Azkaban, and the biggest change of them all; he had a family. Andromeda, Nymphadora and Teddy; how they'd changed his life so very much in nothing more than a few months' time. He grinned, a sense of happiness overcoming him when he thought of them.
He and Dora had made something together. They'd made their little Teddy, a sweet boy with her abilities and a perfect combination of their traits, and soon enough, he'd have his first Christmas… not that he'd remember it. At least, that's what Andromeda had claimed, but true or not, thanks to wizarding cameras, they could make memories that'd last until time itself came to an end. Thus, with Dora still asleep in their bedroom and Teddy out like a light, Harry had opted to stealthily begin throwing up the decorations all over the gaf.
Of course, he'd not be a right and proper husband if he didn't hang mistletoe over the door to their bedroom — what followed that first piece of decor were many a vine with leaves enchanted to change colours that he hung from the ceiling, in addition to stockings, illusionary snow drifting down and much, much more. He'd tried to mimic Hogwarts from his earlier years.
"Aren't you adorable?"
Harry jolted for a moment, his head snapping to the source of the noise. When he noticed it was Andromeda, his shoulders sagged; she sounded so much like her sister. "Morning, Andi."
The older woman smiled and strolled over to him, adorned in her robe as ever she was so early in the morning. When she reached him, she gave him a one-handed hug, her other hand keeping hold of her tea. "Good morning, and Happy Christmas."
He grinned as she pulled away, her other hand returning to clutch the steaming mug of tea. "Happy Christmas," he held out an arm, and she looped it through, giving him a polite little smile. "I've set up breakfast — you can get started, if you'd like. I thought I'd go and wake up Dora after I finished sorting everything."
Andi patted him on the cheek. "You're a darling."
The two continued, making small talk all the while. They each seemed to wish they'd get snow for Christmas, but that wasn't very likely. The day was rather dreary, but knowing his country like he did, he reckoned it'd be rain before snow.
Upon reaching the entrance to the little intimate dining room of theirs, he retracted his arm and gestured therein. "I'll be back with Dora in a minute."
Andi simply watched him retreat with a large smile as she raised the glass to her lips; she simply loved watching the pair together, even if Dora always whinged.
Harry traced his steps back whence he'd come with Andi, and then up the stairs, through a couple of halls and finally, before too much time had passed, he found himself standing outside the door to his bedroom. The wreath he'd put on it was brilliant, if he did say so himself, and all the lights, the snow, the flickering of the dimmed torches; he reckoned it paid off.
With a last fond look around the place, he slowly pushed the door open. He didn't wish to wake her before he'd made his way over, loud and heavy as the thing was. After the few extra seconds spent slowly opening the thing, he pushed his way inside, his face breaking into a smile as he did so.
Dora was still asleep, sprawled out on the bed with her face mostly hidden in a pillow. Yet, somehow, she'd managed to throw an arm out and have it land on Teddy's crib; she'd told him it was absolutely necessary for him to spend his first Christmas in their room, but he reckoned she just wanted to be close to the both of them.
He'd agreed instantly, of course.
As for Teddy, as Harry edged closer, he saw his boy was still well asleep. Those little legs kicked every now and then, a sight Harry could watch in awe for hours, but a sight he forced himself to look away from for the sake of the day. Were it to continue, he couldn't very well stay watching his son until he woke for the day.
Thus, Harry took another two steps, his hands stealing Dora's from the crib, lest she shake it accidentally when he woke her. After doing just that — and throwing up a silencing charm for good measure over Teddy's crib — Harry slid into bed beside her, and slowly, gently, shook her awake.
There was nothing after his first attempt, and still nothing after his second. It took until his third try to get Dora to finally rise, and when she did, it was with a huff as she burrowed into his chest, her breath tickling his neck.
Harry wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the happy noise she made. "We should get up. It's nearly ten."
"Too early."
"We went to bed at nine last night," he pointed out.
Dora huffed and poked him in the side. "Too. Early."
Harry couldn't help but to snicker and prod her in retaliation, and from there, quickly, the two devolved into an impromptu morning wrestling match. They were careful to avoid Teddy's side of the bed, instead, using Harry's to twist and turn until they stopped, the loud thud of their headboard startling the couple.
"Great," Dora huffed, her bottom lip pouting out in an extreme, ridiculous manner. "Now mum's going to think I had my wicked way with you again. Morgana, I hope she doesn't tell me to wait again."
"Wait?" Harry furrowed his brow. "I don't remember that."
Dora blew a raspberry. "Duh," she said, flicking his nose as she rose from bed. She bent over, grabbing for clothes she'd left on the floor from the previous night. He doubted the wiggling of her hips as she 'struggled' to return her skirt where it belonged was an accident. "After we nearly got caught in the library, she saw fit to catch me alone and advised me on waiting a bit longer before we gave her a second grandchild — she did request for a girl this time, by the way. Or twins. I said both wo—"
He choked on his own saliva, and that was the point Dora stopped, giving into laughter.
"You're too easy," she crawled back across the bed, wrapping her arms around him from behind. With a hand, she turned his head. Her expression was amused and happy, and decidedly affectionate. "Happy Christmas."
Her voice was softer, the teasing edge gone as she looked beyond him for a moment; he'd put up illusionary snow at each and every window.
With a cheeky grin, he turned his head a smidge more and caught her lips with his own. "Happy Christmas," he returned. "I love you."
"I love you more."
Harry opened his mouth to object, but it was then she pounced; he'd fallen for it again, and as she deepened the kiss, ravenous as ever, he reckoned he didn't quite mind.
Nearly fifteen minutes after having left Andromeda, did Harry return with Nymphadora in tow. The two were refreshed thanks to the use of charms, though the guilty looks they shared certainly didn't go unnoticed by Andi. Thankfully, the older woman was content with snickering to herself as she looked between the pair.
That snickering turned strangely coo-like when Harry pulled out a chair for Dora, before pushing it back in after she'd accepted it. He took the spot beside hers shortly thereafter, and finally, together, the three adults began to eat; Andi had waited the whole while with a copy of the Quibbler in her hand.
"I need to marry him soon, don't I, mum?" Dora asked, her left hand playing with his under the table as the right brought a fork up to her mouth covered in pancake and dripping syrup.
Andi, who was sitting across from the pair, nodded with all the poise of a Pureblood. Her words were no less fitting. "Of course," she said, her tone indicating such a question shouldn't even need to be asked. "He cooks, he cleans, he takes care of Teddy, he decorates — if you wait much longer, I think I'll have to steal him away."
Dora and Andi laughed when he squirmed in his seat, the former witch speaking first. "Don't worry, Harry, I'll keep you out of the clutches of my mum."
Andi snorted. "Speaking of clutches, were you working on yours? Is that what took you two so long?"
That was it. Harry couldn't contain it any longer. With a mighty arch, the pumpkin juice he'd been drinking spewed up, into the snow he'd charmed earlier… before falling to the floor behind his chair.
The laughing of the two witches was louder than he'd ever heard before; thank Merlin he'd put a silencing charm over Teddy's crib.
After the rather eventful breakfast they'd had, the trio sought out the parlour room, content to spend the remainder of the morning in the company of one another. The work he'd done on the windows was well and truly observed, and appreciated then. As were the decorations he'd put up all throughout the place.
But, as their morning teas dwindled and the sun began to shine more brightly, the trio agreed it was time to start with gifts; they'd do their own for one another, and then go and get Teddy, and have the day truly start. Harry had already set up the camera above the Floo so that the thing was able to capture a… Well, he couldn't quite recall what the Muggles called it, but the thing would see the lot of them and snap no small amount of photos.
He'd rigged it to do just that, after all.
Thus, many a photo was taken of the trio as they exchanged their gifts with one another. He'd received plenty of clothes, a new broom, a framed picture of Teddy, and a key, to which Andi said she'd show him what it went to later. Dora had also gotten him a necklace to wear, one that Hermione and she had charmed together so that the couple could stay in contact with one another.
Harry loved it.
As for what he'd gotten the pair, the highlights were jewellery, a similar picture of Teddy when Harry had caught his hair shifting colours, a new set of Auror robes since Dora wanted to continue working soon, and for Andi, he'd tracked down something in the Black vaults; all of her Hogwarts belongings, untouched since she'd fled the family.
The teary quality of her eyes told him just how much that'd meant to her.
Five minutes past the last gift the three had for one another, Dora sought out their son, encouraging him to stay seated; she intended on coming right back to that warm, cosy spot she'd burrowed into.
Sure enough, Dora returned with a skip in her step, their son held close to her chest as she made her way over to him with the biggest of smirks on her face. Harry quickly mirrored it as he held open his arms, his wife and son soon joining him.
When he felt them both, and when his eyes met those of his sons, green just as his were, Harry felt an overwhelming sense of peace come over him. There was something so strong, so wonderful abo—
Teddy spit-up on him, and then, the flash of the camera told him a photo was taken.
Dora glanced at him, blinking, her eyes settling on his 'ruined' shirt. When her eyes went further up, meeting Harry's, she burst into a fit of laughter. Teddy giggled right along with her, his little fists grabbing at his mum's hair.
Harry quickly banished the sick and cast a freshening charm, and it was then, Andi spoke.
"Here's your copy, Harry," and then floated into his field of vision a photo that captured, in real-time, Teddy being sick on him; there was his shocked face, Dora's amused visage and Andi's snickering.
It was certainly a Christmas of firsts.
