Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Christmas Loan ❯ Damn Floo Powder ( Chapter 8 )

The Christmas I Loaned My Sons

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: CONTAINS SLASH! There WILL be shounen-ai in this story! Maybe actual yaoi later on, but definitely shounen-ai!

 

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CHAPTER EIGHT: Damn Floo Powder!

 

I made a huge racket coming back through the fireplace—I had never been good with Floo Powder. It was another reason for Byrne not to come home with me.

I was immediately glad that I had been using magic to carry the presents, as they floated stoically by while I did a somersault out of the embers. I hit my head hard on the side of a chair, which had the dual effect of stopping me from rolling any further and giving me a giant goose egg.

“Daddy?”

I looked up, rubbing my head and coughing a little. My glasses had slipped off sometime during my landing, so all I could see was two jade splotches with a fuzzy red and pink outline. Behind it was a silvery halo that glowed in the firelight.

“Merlin, Potter, you trying to kill someone?” The halo moved around the pink blob, an even fuzzier outline coming into view.

“Not really.” I muttered, grimacing. “Damn Floo powder.”

“Daddy said a bad word!” Nix's voice giggled from beside me. I turned only to find that my glasses were being shoved in my face, Nix's distorted figure standing behind them.

I grunted incomprehensibly as I took the glasses and put them on, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment before opening them again and allowing them to readjust.

“Are you alright, Harry?” Theodore asked from his seat on a nearby couch.

“'M fine.” I said, sitting up and touching my forehead, hissing and bringing my hand away almost immediately afterward. Sticky red blood sat on my finger.

“You poor thing.” Luna cooed, sounding more amused than anything else. “You always have hated Flooing, haven't you?”

“Mm.” I shook my head, which was going fuzzy.

“You have a concussion, you idiot.” Malfoy's suddenly far-off sounding voice said. “Cady, get me a first aid kit. Up you come, Potter.”

Arms looped around my waist, jerking me up and making me groan as pain shot through my head.

“Here, sit down.”

I was seated gingerly, and noted vaguely that I shouldn't be allowing my eyelids to droop like they were if I had a concussion like Malfoy said (which I probably did).

“Stay awake, Potter.” Malfoy said, slapping my cheek gently.

“Hurts.” I said. “'M tired.”

“Yeah, and if you go to sleep you might just leave these boys of yours alone. You really want that?” Malfoy asked rather sharply.

“Uh-uh.” I shook my head blearily.

“Daddy's gonna be okay?” Nix asked.

“He'll be alright.”

“OW!” I yelped and jerked away as a cold, stinging liquid was applied to my cut. Before I could close my mouth, a vial was shoved into it. Fingers pinched my nose closed and I choked the nasty-tasting potion down, shuddering as it burned my throat.

“There.” Malfoy said, finally coming into focus. “You should've just asked an elf to pick this stuff up for you if you're this bad at Flooing.”

I laughed awkwardly. “I'm not usually this bad…I tripped over something on the way out.”

“Clumsy.” Malfoy snorted with a roll of his eyes. “Is your head alright, now?”

I nodded, running a hand through my ever-messy hair. “Yeah, it's fine. Thanks.”

He hummed nonchalantly and straightened, handing the first aid kit to Cady the house elf, who bowed and disappeared with a sharp crack.

“Daddy's okay?” Byrne asked, appearing seemingly out of nowhere at my side.

“I'm fine, buddy.” I threw an arm around him, kissing the top of his head. “You okay?”

He nodded, snuggling into my side with a relieved sigh.

“Do we get to open presents now, Uncle Harry?” Val asked excitedly as she jumped up and down.

“We sure do, Val.” I replied with a laugh, then looked at Malfoy again. “How do you guys do this? Any certain order?”

“Youngest to oldest.” He nodded.

“Right.”

“That's me, Daddy?” Nix asked.

“I do believe it is, Nix.” I said, tweaking his ear. “You know which two are your presents from me, but remember that you only get to open one of them tonight, okay? The other is for in the morning.”

“Right!” Nix said, toddling over to his two gifts, which were piled with the others I had brought (I moved the presents I had just brought from home over to the same stack). He considered both packages thoughtfully, both of them being nearly the same size.

“Hurry up, Nix!” Val said impatiently.

“Which one, Daddy?” Nix asked, looking at me.

I thought for a moment. “The green one.” I finally said with a decisive nod.

“Okay!” He said, grabbing the gift in question. He tore into the holly-print paper with gusto, squealing happily when he uncovered a miniature Quidditch set. “Oooh!” He dropped it and tackled me. “Thanks, Daddy!”

“You're welcome, sport.” I said, ruffling his hair.

“Your turn, Byrne.” Luna said amusedly.

Byrne nodded, grabbing the present wrapped in Santa-decorated paper without any pomp and circumstance. Then he plopped himself down on the floor in between Malfoy and I (I wasn't sure how we ended up on the same couch), unwrapping the present with a careful precision that not many three-year-olds had.

“Just open it!” Val said exasperatedly, giving the rest of presents a wistful look.

Byrne shot a glance at her that made me blink—I had never seen him glare at anyone before without them deserving it. As a matter of fact, I don't think I had ever seen him glare at anyone but Nix and me before then.

“Byrne.” I said gently, giving him a look.

He rolled his eyes and finished opening the present, all irritation gone when he had finished. A big, goofy grin passed over his face as he pulled out a Wizard Chess set.

“Like Uncle Ronny's?” He asked, looking up at me.

I shook my head, winking at him as I tapped my nose, an old habit I'd picked up during the war from…someone or other. Those times tended to blur together for me, and I didn't try to sort them out.

“It's completely unique to you, little buddy. I'll show you after all the presents are opened, okay?” I asked.

“Okay!” He said, now glancing at the box with curious anticipation.

“My turn, my turn!” Val sang happily, surveying the presents thoughtfully before looking at me. “Where's yours, Uncle Harry?”

I laughed, rubbing the back of my head awkwardly.

“I'm sure it's not as exciting as you think.” I said. “It's a muggle present…kind of…and…”

“Aww, Harry, that's so sweet!” Luna gushed, already knowing what the present would be.

“It is not…” I said, ducking my head as I summoned my gift out of the pile and handed it to Val. “I've given it to all of my oldest nieces and nephews—as you well know—and now she's my niece, too.”

“I think it's adorable.” Luna said.

“Sure, sure…” I mumbled blushing.

All the while, Val had been ripping into the paper covering her present, her head falling to one side as she looked at it.

“A book?” She asked, sounding almost disappointed but mostly curious.

“That was my favorite book all through childhood.” I explained with a weak smile. “My cousin hated reading, so after he threw it away I dug through the trash for it and stashed it in one of the hiding places I had in my cupboard. And then, whenever I felt bad, I'd get it out and read it. So now, whenever someone new enters into my family, I give them a copy. I guess it's sort of a weird initiation thing or something.”

“Oh.” She said, regarding the book even as everyone else (sans the twins) regarded me. I think they were confused about my story.

“What book is it?” Theodore asked, having never been privy to this little tradition of mine before.

“The Cat in the Hat.”

 

ENDCHAPTEREIGHT