Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas

December 22nd, 5:30 pm

Draco Malfoy walked slowly down the snowy cobblestones that were the main road for every shopper in existence, apparently. Draco stuck his hands further into his pockets and glared at a man who bumped into him.

Draco ducked into a small jewelry shop, the only one in Hogsmeade. He planned to buy something for his mother there. She always did like it when he gave her pretty jewelry.

His eye was caught by something sparkly. She loved sparkly things. She was like a rat in that respect. That respect only though.

The sparkling thing at the corner of his eye was a beautiful necklace of intricate silver and blue gems. It had matching earrings and a bracelet. Draco smiled and picked it up. As he carried it to the register, something else tugged at the edge of his vision. He turned, and there, set out in all its glory, was a gold set of jewelry. Draco set his mother's gift down on the counter and bent to see the gold pieces.

The set consisted of a delicate gold chain from which a small snake hung, with one green eye, a pair of dangling earrings that were a perfect duplicate of the necklace, albeit slightly smaller, and a gold bracelet that snapped on, the tail clipping into the snake's mouth.

Draco grinned as he thought of the perfect person to have the set. He asked the attendant for the gold snakes as well and walked out of the store very happy.

He was happy for a very few seconds, however. It had started snowing in the short time he had been in the store, and the temperature had dropped about ten degrees. The blonde boy hurried into the Three Broomsticks and got himself a bottle of butterbeer for his walk back to the castle.

His mother had been the last person he'd needed a gift for. Draco was a firm believer in being prepared. He had already gotten everybody else's gift, and he was the favored customer in the small jewelry shop. He had gotten Harry a silver ring there, and a small gold earring for Blaise. His father had (or rather, was going to) receive a pocket watch to go with his new waistcoat, and he'd even gotten Hermione some perfume and the Weasel a nice blue scarf that complemented his hair and eyes well.

Draco got back to the castle covered in snow. He shook himself and strolled down to the Slytherin common rooms to deposit his purchases and then sauntered down to dinner.

December 24th, 6:00pm

Draco had sent his gifts to his parents by owl already, and was reluctantly sitting on the big red sofa in the Gryffindor common room, having been dragged in by Harry. He started slightly as Ginny slid onto the sofa rather backwards. Her feet were straight up in the air and resting against the back of the couch and her head was dangling off the front end, near Draco's knees.

"Happy Christmas!"

Draco raised an eyebrow at her and smiled bemusedly. Christmas carols filled the common room, and Harry and the Weasel were playing a game of chess on the floor in front of the fire. Hermione was happily knitting away in a big armchair near the boys. She had contrived for the Trio and Ginny to have their presents under the big tree in the common room this year. After all, she said, it was their last.

Draco yawned and stretched languidly, ignoring the first and second year's rather rabbit like furtive glances at him. Ginny laughed and swiveled so she was sitting up properly.

"S'rather late, isn't it?" she asked, smothering a yawn. Draco looked at his watch.

"Half past eleven." Harry looked up.

"Really? We'd better go to bed. Wanna sleep here tonight, Draco?"

Draco was about to politely decline, but Harry was giving him the Look, and Ginny had an expression reminiscent of a puppy on her face. Draco groaned and buried his face in his pillow.

"Okay." His voice was muffled by the fabric, but not quite enough. Hermione and Ginny grinned, Ron smiled warily and Harry beamed.

"Brilliant. Look, I'll sleep down here too."

Hermione nodded. "So will I."

Ron sighed. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever."

Ginny bounced. "Oooh, that sounds fun! I'm going to go get changed and bring down my blankets." She hopped up and ran up the girls dorm stairs.

"I think I will too," said Hermione, following her. Harry and Ron grunted and focused on their game. Draco watched interestedly.

A few minutes later, both girls came back downstairs, overloaded with comforters and sheets and pillows. Ginny grunted as she let her armful drop. "There," she panted, her face flushed, "I brought down an extra set, so Malfoy can be comfy." She smiled at him, a brilliant unrestrained smile that was the picture of everything Christmas. Draco found himself momentarily stunned. When he returned to reality, Harry and Ron had finished their chess game and had begun to set up beds.

It was much later, almost midnight, as Draco lay in warm comfort on the floor that he heard a shifting next to him. Ginny was moving. He had found it rather odd that he had ended up next to her and that the Weasel had barely put up any fight. He had only given Draco a Look that promised Painful Mutilation if he did anything to Ginny. Draco rather thought that signified an amount of trust he had never expected to get from Ron and was oddly gratified.

"Psst! You awake?"

"Yeah." Draco rolled on his side and say her eyes shining in the glow of the dying embers.

"I can't sleep. Too excited. You?"

"Just thinking." He had a sudden idea. A wonderful idea, the best idea he'd had in a long time. "Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Come with me." He got up, not bothering to pull on a jumper. Ginny got up, and he could barely see the flush on her face, and the excited look in her eyes. "Where to?"

It was mark of how far he had come that Ginny Weasley would willingly go anywhere with Draco Malfoy.

"I have something for you. I was planning on giving to you later, but-" he looked at his watch "-it's Christmas now, and this is as good a time as any." He led her out of the portrait and down to the dungeons. "Wait here," he whispered, ducking into the Slytherin common room. He rain up to his dorm and sneaked in, pulling the small box from under his bed and sneaking back out. No one was about, and there was no fire in the fireplace. When he got back out, Ginny was sitting on the cold floor, her arms about her knees, singing carols. She jumped up at the sight of him.

"So?"

Draco grinned. "Not yet." Her face fell. "Back to Gryffindor." They ran back, and Ginny was struck with the giggles. Draco tried many times to shut her up, but it backfired, as he always ended up chuckling as well. They'd had to hide a few times from passing teachers out on patrol, hands over each other's mouths.

They made it safely back to Gryffindor and Draco stoked the fire as Ginny curled up cat-like in one of the armchairs by the hearth. When Draco had gotten a small fire going, he turned to Ginny and was once again struck dumb. Her eyes were glittering, her hair was glowing like a fiery halo in the firelight and he could swear she had colored her lips because he'd swear they weren't that color before. Draco sat next to her on a pouf and handed her the small box. It was wrapped prettily in green paper with gold ribbon and a red bow. She eyes it curiously and sent him a inquisitive look. He smirked at her and nodded at the gift. She slowly tore the paper off and Draco was entranced by her hands, smooth and pale and long. There was a small thin gold ring on the middle finger of her right hand he'd never noticed before.

Ginny opened the lid eagerly and gasped, one hand going to her mouth. "Oh my god, Draco." His name coming from her mouth so reverently sent shivers down his spine. "It's beautiful." She delicately picked up the necklace and gazed at it, rapture evident in her face. Draco gently took it from her hands and fastened it around her neck. He felt her slight intake of breath as he came near and had to take a deep breath himself.

Ginny placed one hand on the snake as he pulled away.

"Go on," he said. "Put on the rest." Ginny complied.

She was lovely, and he told her so.

"Why? I mean, why me? Why spend so much on the Weaselette?"

One corner of Draco's mouth turned up. "I saw it and knew it was perfect for you. I wanted to give it to you when your brother wasn't around, and now seemed like a perfect time."

Ginny smiled and ducked her head. "Thank you. I suppose you want yours now?"

"Doesn't matter."

Ginny bit her lip cutely and jumped up. She grabbed a gift from under the tree, wrapped in shiny silver paper with red ribbon and handed it to him somewhat shyly. Draco took it and opened it carefully. Inside was a small braided rope with a silver dragon hanging from it. It was a necklace. Ginny had obviously made the rope from which the pendant hung and Draco was touched. He put it on immediately.

"How's it look?"

Ginny beamed. "Great."

A sudden grunt from Ron's direction made them both start.

"Bed?"

Draco nodded. Ginny slipped into her little nest on the floor and Draco did the same.

"Happy Christmas Draco."

"Happy Christmas Ginny."

December 25th, 7:30 am

Harry was the first to pounce on everyone. His time in Avalon hadn't gotten rid of his childish delight about Christmas. There were flying presents in the air, and occasionally a loud 'Oof!' would issue from a lump around the fire.

"Up! Rise and shine, cause it's CHRISTMAS! Get up, you lazy prats! Up!"

Draco sat up abruptly. "Potter, if you don't shut up right now, I'm going to twist your head off and use it as a Quaffle." Harry laughed.

Ron rolled over and grabbed one of the things Harry had thrown at him. "Alright, alright mate, we're up."

Hermione cleared her throat delicately and accepted a gift Harry pressed into her hands. Ginny mumbled something that sounded vaguely like "O ugh ourelf 'Arry." Draco let out a bark of laughter.

Ron and Harry pounced Ginny at the same time. "Malfoy, hold her dow-oof!" cried Ron as he was kicked in the stomach by a flailing foot. Draco laughed and held Ginny down as the other boys ripped the blankets off her. Hermione was lost in laughter as she watched Ginny fight back, her face completely obscured by her hair.

"Okay, oka-ow! I'm up!" Harry sat back laughing. Ron rolled over onto his back, panting. Draco just smirked as Ginny leveled a glare at him.

Everybody settled down to a riot of wrapping paper and bows. Hermione emerged from the fray with a bow in her head and several lengths of tinsel around her shoulders, laden with gifts. She had exclaimed over the perfume Draco had gotten her and given Harry and Ron both kisses on the cheek for their gifts. Ginny was wearing a new bathrobe from Harry and holding the new romance books she'd wanted, compliments of Ron. Draco caught tantalizing glimpses of gold as she moved and held back a grin. He threw his gift at Harry, who yelped as it hit him in the head. He did the same with the Weasel's, but as if was soft, he made so such gratifying sound.

Draco received a soft grey jumper from Hermione, a grey hat from Ginny just exactly the same shade of grey as the jumper (he suspected some collaborative gifting there), a heavy silver watch with emeralds in the face from Harry (which must have cost a fortune but Harry didn't seem to mind) and a set of nice inks from Ron.

Ginny seemed surprised when Draco threw another gift at her. She caught it and sent him a wondering look. She just raised his brows and looked away. He had gotten her a small replica of a snitch that flew around on it's own. She squealed at it and immediately began playing with it.

It was only a bit later, as everyone was occupied with their presents that Harry pulled him aside and looked pointedly at the necklace that Draco wore. He quickly tucked it into his shirt.

"Where's that from?"

"Oh, no one."

"Uh huh." Harry grinned at Draco and pulled out a necklace made of the same rope with a small lion on it. "No one, huh?" Draco opened his mouth, but Harry shut him up. "Go for it, mate."

Draco nodded at Harry gratefully. Harry patted him on the shoulder and then left to pounce of Ron, challenging him to a game of chess with his new set. With a promise of victory, Ron set up the board. He was looking for a rogue knight when he saw a glint of gold on Ginny's wrist.

"Oy Gin," he called.

"Yeah?"

"Where's that bracelet from?"

Draco smirked at Ginny, and she smirked right back. "Oh, no one."

~fin~