Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Christmas Loan ❯ Christmas Dinner ( Chapter 3 )

The Christmas Loan

By: Ellipsis the Great

DISCLAIMER: The idea is from `Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul.' Harry Potter and all things affiliated with him belong to the amazing J.K. Rowling. I own the Potter twins, and all of the plot outside what I garnered from CSFTCS.

Summary: After losing his wife and son to a magical disease, Draco Malfoy puts an ad in an editorial to borrow a son for Christmas. Harry Potter answers.

Rated: T just in case. May change later on.

Spoilers: Five years post-Hogwarts. Compliant with all books, sans the epilogue in DH.

Warnings: None insofar. Also may change later on. Probable yaoi, as my whimsies and muses take me. You've been warned.

 

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CHAPTER THREE: The Arrival

 

Mother and I took our posts at the doorway at 5:58. Mother wore a flowing crimson gown with deep jade embellishments on the sleeves and skirt, her platinum hair pulled up in an elegant and fashionable bun. I wore a rather simple green dress robe with a silver cravat that I kept wanting to pull at, but such a nervous gesture was beneath a grown man. A child could probably get away with it, but never an adult and certainly not a Malfoy.

A sharp rap on the doorway at exactly 6 o'clock had both of us straightening (a seemingly impossible feat), watching silently as one of our house elves opened the door, popping out of sight immediately afterward.

And there stood Potter, his smoldering green eyes gazing at us in a bored manner through his black oval-shaped glasses. He wore a tight red sweater and even tighter blue jeans, and had a small stack of five or six presents in his arms, all wrapped in gaudy Christmas paper.

At first glance, I had the oddest, most unsettling impression that he had come alone. Then a pair of huge green eyes peered out from behind his legs, looking up at Mother and I.

“Malfoy.” Potter greeted with a short nod. “Mrs. Malfoy.”

“Potter.” I said as my mother said, “Mr. Potter.”

Then we stared at each other for a moment, which was finally broken when Potter blinked and looked behind himself. With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, he set the presents down and turned, scooping up two identical little boys and setting them in front of himself, whispering something to them before he released them and straightened.

One of the boys, wearing a green sweater with a phoenix on it, grinned up at us through a messy shock of fiery red hair. The other, his sweater depicting a raven, glanced up and dug his toe in the ground bashfully, his hair slightly less chaotic though it was the same fiery color. Both had their father's brilliant green eyes, as well. (Did I just call Potter's eyes brilliant?)

“Happy Christmas, Mr. and Lady Malfoy!” They chorused, both stepping forward and wrapping the arms around us—the grinning one around Mother, the shy one around me.

“Oh!” Mother gasped, thrown off-balance for just a moment.

I hardly had any time to react, as the shy one's arms had just closed around my legs before he zipped back behind his father's legs.

“Introduce yourselves.” Potter said, pushing the shy boy in front of himself again. “Both of you.”

“Nix!” The grinning twin said. “I'm Nix!”

The shy twin grasped Potter's pants leg with one hand. “Byrne.” He said quietly, not looking at us.

“Up?” Phoenix asked, holding his arms up to my mother expectantly.

“Mind your manners, Phoenix.” Potter scolded with a small frown.

“Up, please?” Phoenix amended immediately, though his arms didn't move.

Mother picked him up carefully, not quite sure what to make of him.

“Your name?” Phoenix asked. “Please, your name?”

“You may call me Grandmother Narcissa, if that's alright with your father.” Mother said.

Phoenix looked back at Potter, who nodded in spite of the slightly surprised expression on his face.

“Yay!” Phoenix cheered. “Grandmother `Cissa!” He threw his arms around Mother's neck and kissed her cheek exuberantly.

Mother's face was blank for a moment before her lips curled up into a tiny smile.

“Your name?” Phoenix turned to me, not releasing Mother's neck.

“Draco.” I replied.

His head cocked to one side, then looked at Potter again. “Grandfather Draco?”

“They aren't married, Nix.” Potter said. “Mrs. Malfoy is his mother.”

His eyes widened, and he looked from Mother, to me, and back again. “His mother?” He asked disbelievingly.

Mother's smile widened. “Yes, I'm his mother. He's much younger than he looks.”

“And Grandmother `Cissa is older!” Phoenix said.

“Phoenix!” Potter hissed, but Mother just laughed once and waved him off.

“It's alright. I'll take it as a compliment.” She assured him.

Potter sighed again. “Thank you. Doesn't think before he talks, that one.”

“And this one doesn't talk much at all.” She looked at Byrne. “I don't bite, Byrne.”

Byrne looked up at her slowly. “No crying, now?” He asked.

Both of us blinked and looked at Potter.

“I told him you might cry if we didn't come keep you company. He's too young to understand much else about…about losing people and such.” Potter explained.

“No crying, please, Grandmother `Cissa.” Byrne said, giving us a rather melancholic look.

“No crying, Byrne.” Mother said with a soft smile.

He returned her smile with a tiny one of his own.

“Promise, Grandmother `Cissa?” Phoenix asked.

“I promise, Phoenix.” She said. “Now, are you boys ready for dinner?”

“I'm hungry, I'm hungry!” Phoenix said immediately, his twin nodding acquiescently.

“Then let's all head to the dining room, shall we?” She offered a hand to Byrne.

Byrne shook his head, burying his face in Potter's leg.

“Come on, Byrne.” Potter said, untangling his son. “Won't you be a big boy and hold Mrs. Malfoy's hand? Please?”

Byrne shook his head, biting his bottom lip.

“One step at a time, then.” Potter muttered, picking the presents up and grabbing Byrne's hand. “Lead the way, Mrs. Malfoy.”

“You may call me Narcissa, Mr. Potter.” She said even as she turned toward the dining room. I held out an arm for her, and she put her hand in the crook of my elbow, shifting Phoenix to her free arm as she did.

“Where may I set the gifts?” He asked.

I snapped my fingers before Mother could even glance at me, a house elf appeared at my feet. “Sesi, please take Mr. Potter's gifts to the Christmas tree.”

“Yes, Master Malfoy.” She curtsied and took the presents from Potter, disappearing with a sharp crack that made the twins jump.

“It's loud!” Phoenix exclaimed, his voice nearly as loud as Sesi's disappearance had been.

“Yes, it is.” Mother agreed.

Phoenix started to say something else, but his attention instead turned to the dining table, which was practically overflowing with food.

“Food, food!” Phoenix said.

“We weren't sure what you liked, so we had the elves make a little of everything.” I explained.

“Thank you.” Potter said. “And Nix, don't you even look at those desserts until your real dinner is finished, you hear me?”

“Yes, sir.” He grumbled.

“Good boy.” Potter said with a tiny smile. “And you can only have one, then.

“Down, please, Grandmother `Cissa.” Phoenix said, wrinkling his nose at his father.

Mother set him down obligingly.

“Don't sit down yet, Nix.” Potter said, giving his son a stern look.

“Why?” Phoenix asked, pouting.

“It isn't polite to sit until the Lady of the house is seated.” He said. I was rather surprised Potter would know that sort of thing.

“But at Gran's—” Phoenix protested.

“We aren't at Gran's, Nix. We're at the Malfoy's, and I already told you how you're to act at the Malfoy's, didn't I?” Potter's voice brooked no room for argument.

“Yes, sir.”

“Would you like to show Mother to her seat, Nix?” I asked.

Phoenix gave me a surprised look, but nodded, allowing Mother to take his hand into hers.

“I sit over here.” She said, pointing at her seat, and he all but dragged her over there. “Now, a gentleman pulls out the chair for a lady.”

“Okay, Grandmother `Cissa!” Phoenix grabbed hold of the heavy chair and pulled it back with a little difficulty due to its size.

“Now bow while she sits.” I said.

He bowed clumsily as she sat down as pristinely as ever, smiling all the while at him.

“You may sit down next to me now.” Mother said.

Phoenix looked at Potter, who gave him an encouraging nod as I sat at the head of the table and he sat to my left, across from Mother. Phoenix clambered up into the chair Mother had indicated.

“Sit down, Byrne.” Potter said, pulling out the chair on the other side of himself. Byrne looked up at him for a moment, a pensive expression on his face. Then he toddled over to my side and looked up at me.

“Your lap, Draco?” He asked hesitantly. “Please?”

“A…alright.” I said, scooting my chair back a little to allow him room before I reached down, picked him up, and set him in my lap.

He smiled at me, then turned to the table.

 

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A/N: Nothing much to say about this chapter…except…aren't the twins so cute? X3 Anyhow, I'll shut up now…hope you guys liked this chapter! -EtheG