Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Christmas Loan ❯ Bedtime ( Chapter 14 )

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. HP/DM

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 FOURTEEN: Bedtime

 

“Alright, kids,” Harry said as I saw Byrne yawn out of the corner of my eye. “Time for bed.”

“Aww…do we haveta?” Nix whined, making a face.

“They don't really have to go to bed, Harry.” I smirked at Harry when Valerie and Nix began to cheer. “Although I expect Santa will get a little angry with them for going to bed too late…”

“Hurry up and tuck us in, Daddy!” Nix said, grabbing Harry's hand and tugging at it.

“Yeah! C'mon Daddy! The sooner we go to bed, the sooner Santa will come!” Valerie agreed, mirroring Nix's movements with her own father.

“Alright, alright.” Harry chuckled as he and Greg stood, him picking up Nix and Greg picking up Valerie. “Byrne, love, wake up.”

“I can get him.” I offered, taking Harry's smile as permission to do so. I stood up, scooping the already lightly dozing boy up in my arms. Byrne sighed contentedly and nestled his nose in the crook of my neck. I was reminded painfully of Adder, but didn't let myself dwell on it. “Val can stay in her usual room, Greg. Follow me, Harry.”

Greg nodded and left toward the West Wing, where guests usually stayed. Harry, though, I led toward the East Wing—the wing usually reserved for those belonging to the Malfoy family. Mother had been the one to decide that they would stay there. Her only explanation when I had asked had been that they were pretending to be family for the night. Her expression had been so painfully nostalgic that I had been unable to press her any further.

“Hey, Draco…?” Harry ventured suddenly. We were already almost halfway to the room the boys would be staying in (which was a fair ways away from the room we had been in), and hadn't spoken until then.

“Hm?” I looked over at him.

“I really am sorry about everything Molly put in that Howler.” His deep green eyes never left mine. “And everything you heard when…when I flooed her.”

“Don't worry about it.” I shrugged him off, shifting so that I had a better hold on Byrne. “It's not your fault. And you…you stood up for me.”

“Of course I did.” He smiled. “I have a saving people thing, remember?”

I chuckled. “Yeah, I know. But I never expected it to include me.”

“Start expecting it.” He said, his smile reflected amusingly in his eyes.

My smile wavered and I turned my gaze to straight in front of myself, feeling my cheeks heat up. “Y-yeah. Thanks.”

“Mhm.” He sounded pleased with himself for some reason, and we settled back into a mostly not awkward silence.

“They're good kids, you know.” I surprised myself by saying. “They…thank you for bringing them.”

“It was no problem.” He was closer to me suddenly, our arms brushing together ever-so-gently, and I realized with a slight start that he was trying to be comforting. “Thanks for having us.”

“My pleasure.”

If he kept giving me these Slytherin-esque smirks, I knew I was going to—

“I know what my pleasure has been.” He whispered huskily into my ear.

I nearly dropped Byrne. “Harry!” I hissed.

“Hmm?” He gave me an entirely too innocent look.

I shook my head, blushing again. “Here's the boys' room.” I muttered, pushing the door open with my hip. I heard him laugh softly behind me and shot him a nasty glare.

“If I'd known how easy it was to get you flustered, I'd have done this years ago.” He said as he brushed past me. “Boys, do you want to share a bed?”

“Uhuh.” Nix murmured tiredly.

“Okay, here you go.” He pulled back the blankets on the nearest bed, laying the nearly comatose Nix into it.

“Byrne, I'm going to set you down now.” I whispered to the snoozing twin in my arms, who loosened his hold on me but didn't otherwise stir. My lips curling upward, I set him in the bed beside his brother, who immediately curled up around him. I couldn't stop the ache that formed in my chest as my mind projected an image of Adder and another blonde-haired child over them.

“Goodnight, boys.” Harry's voice disrupted the picture.

“N't D'dy.” They yawned in unison, snuggling closer together. “N't Dr'o.”

“Goodnight.” My hand moved on its own, running over their heads and caressing their cheeks.

“I love you, boys.” Harry said beside me as he leaned forward and brushed his lips against both twins' foreheads.

“Mmm…” Nix sighed, too tired to say anything more. Byrne was already fast asleep, the last of his energy having been spent telling us goodnight.

Harry pulled the blankets up the rest of the way around them, patting Byrne's shoulder gently before straightening. “Let's go.” He whispered, heading for the door.

“Oh!” I said just before I did the same. “Your dad's room is right next to yours, boys, and mine's across the hall if you need anything.” I don't know if they heard me, though Nix made a soft noise that I took to be one of acknowledgement.

Harry motioned at me, and I followed him the rest of the way out of the room.

“That's your room, then?” He asked, pointing at the ornately decorated door across the hall.

“Yes. And there's yours.” I waved a hand at the door to the left of the boys'. “Mother's is up the hall a ways.”

“I didn't know that guests usually got rooms so close to their host's in upper-class society.” He remarked as we started back toward the sitting room.

“They don't.” I said, wishing vaguely that he hadn't asked. Why did he know how things worked in upper-class society, anyhow? “Mother wanted the twins close by since we're…borrowing them, or whatever, and I thought it best if you were near them.”

“In case they get scared in the middle of the night.” He nodded.

I gave him a slightly odd, slightly guilty look. “In case you didn't want Mother or me near them.” I corrected. “Because…well, you know.”

He winced a little. “I know.” He said.

“But even without that factor I would still have put you near them for the reason you suggested.” I said. “If that…if that helps.”

He shrugged. “Nice to know you think so highly of me.”

“It's not…I didn't mean that. I just didn't think you would think very highly of me.” I said with a frown.

“It's the same thing, Draco.” He said. “It's just…oh, never mind. It's Christmas, right? Forgive and forget.”

“Right.” I said.

Harry groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “Why is it that we always end up arguing when we're together?” He asked rhetorically.

“Sexual tension?” I suggested blithely.

He jerked a little, giving me a surprised look. “I wasn't aware that I incited any such tension in you.” He said, arching an eyebrow at me. Then that smirk (the entirely too Slytherin one) made another appearance. “Though I'd be happy to relieve it for you, Draco.”

“God damn you.” I cursed under my breath as I pushed him up against the wall roughly, jamming our lips together. “D'ya have to…say my…name like…that…?” I asked between kisses, one arm wrapping around him to press our hips together as the other took purchase on the wall above his shoulder.

“Like what…Draco?” He was using that voice—the one he used when he wanted to absolutely infuriate me. It was certainly frustrating me now, and somehow the feeling intensified as I realized irritably that he was a mite taller than me.

“Bastard.” I tangled my fingers in his already messy hair, groaning when his hands pushed up beneath my shirt. He didn't answer except to press closer to me, our mouths and hands and tongues continuing a battle for dominance that had started the moment he had refused to take my hand back in first year, albeit now under very different circumstances.

“Draco…” He moaned, whimpering when I pulled away from him. If I had known he could look like this—wanton expression, blazing green eyes, too big puffy lips—I'd have begged the Hat to put me in Gryffindor, Malfoy name be damned.

I stepped back, straightening my robes and fixing him with a superior look that belied that quiver of my gut. “I do not need your brother-in-law to provide fireworks, Harry.” I said.

He laughed breathily. “Definitely not.”

 

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“Daddy?”

“Ngh…” I groaned as Nix's voice broke through my dreams. I looked at the clock—3am. Only an hour after the other adults and I had finished chatting and setting out the presents for the kids.

“Daddy, Byrne's gone.”

His frightened tone is what initially woke me the rest of the way up, which allowed his words to break through my previously sleep-fogged mind.

“What?” I asked, sitting straight up.

“I woke up and he was gone.” Nix sniffled, rubbing his eye with a fist in an attempt to stop the tears that had gathered there from falling. “And I c-can't find him.”

“Shh, it's okay.” I said, scooping him up. “We'll find him, don't worry.” I stood, hoping my tone didn't give away how frantic I was becoming. The twins almost always knew where their counterpart was, at least enough that if they tried hard enough they could discern a general direction and follow it until they found the other. For Nix not to know where his brother was…

“I'm s-scared, Daddy. W-where's Byrne?” Nix whimpered.

“It's alright, Nix, calm down.” I said. “Let's go ask Draco, hm? If anyone will be able to find Byrne, it'll be him.”

Now there was something I had never thought I would say. For all that I had blessed Molly out for it and kissed the snot out of the man (twice—and enjoyed it immensely both times, let me tell you!), there was still a small part of me that continuously spoke out against him and all other Slytherins as well.

I knocked lightly on the huge door that belonged to the Slytherin in question, but received no reply. Funny—I had always taken him for the type to sleep lightly.

I knocked a little louder this time, but still didn't hear anything. The anti-Slytherin part of my mind was going haywire, though it was drowned out by the fatherly part of me that honestly didn't care what I did or he did as long as I was able to locate my eldest son.

I pushed the door open without any further ado, and froze.

“Byrne!” Nix exclaimed, relieved, as he wriggled out of my arms and jumped onto the bed.

Byrne was being held protectively in Draco's arms, both of them sound asleep even with Nix jostling the bed like he was. But then their eyes shot open at the same time, Draco's arms tightening around my son immediately as he sat up, looking about wildly for a moment as he tried to get his bearings straight.

“Byrne I was soo scared `cuz I woke up and I didn't know where you were and I always know where you are so I got up and went to Daddy's room `cuz I thought you'd be there `cuz you had a nightmare or something only you weren't in there so I woke Daddy up and—” Nix started babbling.

“Nix, calm down.” I said, putting a hand on his head. “I'm sorry…I hope Byrne didn't bother you, Draco.”

Draco blinked at me, still mostly sleepy but apparently satisfied that he wasn't being attacked. His arms loosened, allowing Byrne to be pulled from his embrace and into Nix's.

“It's fine.” He said finally. “He apparently had a nightmare and went to the first room he came to. I didn't mind; Adder…Adder used to do it all the time.”

“Oh.” I winced a little. “Alright, then.”

“He's welcome to stay…if he wants…?” He continued warily.

“Can I, Daddy?” Byrne asked.

“Me too, Daddy?” Nix asked.

My heart clenched.

“That's…fine.” I forced out with no small amount of difficulty. They had never done this before, and I had to forcefully tamp down the jealous, selfish part of me that wanted to say no. They were my sons, after all—I had all the time in the world to be with them, and Draco had just lost his son… “I'll just…ah…goodnight, then.” I turned to leave.

“No! You gotta stay, too, Daddy!” Nix latched onto my hand.

“Please?” Byrne piped up in a soft whisper.

“Erm…”

“It's alright.” Draco said. “If you…want to stay.”

“C'mon, Daddy!” Nix said. “Draco said you can!”

“Ah…okay.” I said, not quite sure what was possessing me to say yes. I decided to blame the twins.

“Yay!” Nix tugged at my hand, and I let him pull me into the bed.

I laid down, feeling strangely nervous as the boys curled up between Draco and me.

“Goodnight, Daddy.” Byrne said, kissing my cheek before cuddling up next to Draco, though he snagged one of my hands as he went. He wrapped it around him, Nix, and Draco, who looked distinctly uncomfortable as Nix did the same thing with his arm and me.

“Say g'night, Daddy.” Nix said. “Or else Santa might give you coal.”

“Goodnight, Nix.” I said, kissing his forehead sloppily.

“Ewww! Daddy!” He whined.

“Goodnight, Byrne.” I leaned over Nix, who made dramatic squelching noises as I kissed his brother's forehead. I pulled back a little, finding myself face to face with a mildly amused looking Draco, and blushed.

“Say goodnight to Draco, Daddy.” Byrne scolded lightly.

“Goodnight, Draco.” I said obediently, my eyes never straying from his silvery orbs.

“And give him a goodnight kiss!” Nix giggled.

“I don't think—mm.” My eyes widened as Draco closed the space between us and kissed me soundly on the lips.

“Goodnight, Harry.” He said, then laid back on the bed. “Goodnight, boys. Happy Christmas.”

“Happy Christmas!” The boys said, giggling as I settled back down.

I sighed, hoping beyond all hope that the boys wouldn't wake up in another hour like their cousins did every Christmas.

“Happy Christmas, everyone.”

 

ENDCHAPTERFOURTEEN