Whispers of Winter

Prompt No. 434

6/50

Ever since the war had ended Harry had spent Christmas with the Weasleys. He would spend the earliest parts of Christmas morning with Teddy and Andromeda and then he would floor to the Burrow with his godson tucked against him as Andromeda went to visit her husband and daughters graves. Harry and Teddy would open presents with the Weasleys once everyone had managed to arrive, somebody was always late depending on which child had decided to cause havoc that year, and then they would sit down for a Christmas feast. At the request of Molly, she had finally jinxed Harry until he promised to stop calling her Mrs Weasley, Andromeda would join them for the Christmas lunch and then would leave with Teddy in the late afternoon to spend some quality time with her grandson.

It was tradition, and for Harry who had never experienced a good Christmas with the Dursleys, it was one of the highlights of his year. Yet he had been willing to give it up this year so that he could spend Christmas with his boyfriend Draco. There was tension and bad blood between the Weasleys and Malfoys, Harry was sure there always would be. Draco had thrown himself into learning about Muggles and rectifying his mistakes, and that had included apologising to every Weasley member he could for his behaviour, but it wasn't something that could fix itself overnight. Harry was fully aware of that.

When Molly had checked whether he would be there for Christmas dinner, an unnecessary formality by this point as Harry was there every year, he had for the first time ever paused before replying.

"I…I'm not sure I will be Molly." She was hurt, rightfully so, and Harry quickly continued to explain himself before there was any permanent damage to their relationship. "It's just that it will be my first Christmas with Draco, and I know that not everyone is supportive of our relationship, and I completely understand that. I don't want to ruin your Christmas with any tension, but I don't want him to have to spend Christmas alone or work through it, you see. So, we'll probably just go out for dinner and have a quiet Christmas at Grimmauld Place."

As he explained Molly's face changed and her eyes began to tear up, knowing that Harry had not been malicious in deciding not to spend Christmas with them, but in fact just wanted to make sure they all had an enjoyable time. Straightening herself up she decided that wouldn't do, no, Harry was not going to spend Christmas in Grimmauld Place, and even the thought of him going to a restaurant for a Christmas dinner was unacceptable!

"Harry James Potter, you will be at the Burrow for Christmas day. The same time as usual, and you will be bringing your godson and boyfriend with you, I will not have you spending Christmas away from the family. Anyone that has a problem with it can discuss it with me." Giving him no chance to argue she gave him a pat to the cheek and a kiss on the forehead before flooing away, leaving him stood there, stunned and slightly confused. It looked like he was going to have to explain to Draco that their plans had changed and wouldn't that be an experience to look forward to.

Surprisingly, Draco had taken the news that they were spending Christmas at the Burrow rather well, he hadn't even whined one bit, which had put Harry slightly on edge at first. Thinking back on it, Harry supposed that Draco understood how much the Weasleys meant to Harry and wanted to show how much he cared by putting the effort in. So, the plan was made, Draco would spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with his mother while Harry was exchanging gifts with Andromeda and Teddy. Draco would then floo to his aunts to meet Harry and Teddy where they would then head to the Weasleys together. Teddy was probably the most excited about this arrangement, having become exceptionally close to Draco, who he had declared was his best friend to Harry one day.

To Harry, it was a bit of a blur in the lead up to Christmas Day. He'd made sure that all presents had been purchased in advance, and he had employed Draco to help him with the wrapping. Draco had swiftly taken it over and kicked Harry out of the room when he realised how little Harry actually cared for wrapping presents. Draco however, seemed to be the perfect gift wrapper, every present was neat and tidy with bows and curled ribbon placed artfully on top. Perfectly written gift tags (in Draco's best calligraphy and not Harrys mess of a scrawl) were placed upon each gift with a permanent sticking charm to ensure there were no errors. The presents were placed inside the gift bags Harry had grabbed the last time he'd gone into London and placed next to the fireplace ready for him to floo with them come Christmas morning.

Harry had never given out such perfect looking gifts, and he felt that it was almost a shame that they were going to be ripped open in seconds, but it made Draco happy to put the effort in and Harry was more than happy to indulge him. With Draco at his side and Teddy swapping between sitting in their laps and bounding around the room to inspect the many presents being given out, it was the perfect Christmas at the Weasleys, and one that he had never imagined before.

There had been awkwardness and tension when they had flooed in together, but just as Molly Weasley had promised, no one has said anything about Draco's presence at the Burrow. Sure, there had been a few side eyes and glances shared between the Weasleys and Hermione, but no one had said anything outright. Draco, bless him, refused to acknowledge the tension and placed his focus completely on Teddy and Harry, making sure that they were both enjoying themselves and having the best time possible.

Every time Teddy unwrapped a present, he would present it to Draco for his opinion, and Draco made sure to give the appropriate response of excitement, before asking questions about what he wanted to do with each of his presents. Finally, everyone had given out their presents except for Draco, who suddenly adopted a shy and tentative attitude as he fiddled with the ribbons on a few of the gifts. There was one large box, wrapped in bright green paper with little golden snitches flittering across the surface that Draco handed to Teddy.

"You have to wait for everyone to get theirs before you open it though, because I need you to be my helper. Can you do that for me?" Draco murmured softly to the small boy on his lap who was bouncing with excitement, his eyes fixated on the box with his name on it.

"Teddy can do that!" He handed the present carefully to Harry and with Draco's help handed out the rest of the presents to the Weasleys and Hermione. They all held the presents, admiring the professional wrapping that had been all Draco and the beautifully written gift tags.

"It isn't much, but I thought you might like them. Although, I have a feeling that Mr, Weasley will like it the most." Draco tentatively spoke, gripping Harrys hand within his own, anxiety flowing through his body as he prepared himself for them to open their presents. At the same time, Harry could tell that Draco was excited for them to open their gifts so he could see their reactions to the gifts he'd put much thought into.

Thus, began the mixture of gentle peeling and full-on ripping of wrapping paper. Mrs Weasley, Fleur and Hermione in particular were very carefully peeling away the spellotape and unwinding the ribbons, placing them to the side to keep for later. Ron didn't even pause to look at the paper as he ripped the present open, George following along in a similar fashion. Draco had gone down the same route for everyone, but slightly different.

For Mrs Weasley, he had found a beautiful suede forest green recipe journal and had embossed her name upon the front in a shimmering gold thread, accompanied with a beautiful metallic fountain pen. Mr Weasley had a smart black leather work planner, once again embossed with his name and the added addition of his work title in gold, accompanied by a few fountain pens of different inks.

Bill, Charlie and Percy had received the same as their father, with their individual names on the front, each in a different colour that suited their personalities. Ron and George also had planners, but theirs were specifically for joke creations, in Chudley Cannons orange for Ron and the toxic purple of the Weasley Wizard Wheezes logo for George. Fleur had received a beautiful suede journal in an identical shade of powder blue as her old Beauxbatons uniform with her name engraved in silver calligraphy. Hermione's was the largest, a thick planner with individual fold-out to-do lists and mini planners and a small calendar too. Finally, Ginny had received a reporters journal, as she had mentioned wanting to move into Quidditch reporting at some point, it was the same shade of red as her hair and her name was inscribed on the front in Gryffindor gold.

While it was the journals or planners that looked the most magnificent and thoughtful, what with them being personalised and selected to fit each individual they were gifted to, it was the broad range of pens that Draco had included in the gifts that he took the most pride in. it was also the first thing that Mr Weasley picked up on after everyone had given their thanks for the gift, the atmosphere turning much warmer after they effort Draco had made was revealed.

"What are these shiny things Draco? Wouldn't you usually pair a quill with something that involves writing?" Hermione immediately opened her mouth to begin what was likely to become an in depth and historically founded lecture on pens and where they stemmed from, but Draco beat her to it.

"They're called pens Mr Weasley! They're a Muggle creation that Harry showed me, and they are quite brilliant," with that Draco was of. He was explaining to them how there were different types of pens, and how they all had different nibs and could be used for different jobs, "the best part is that the ink is inside them in a little chamber, so you don't have to carry ink and a well around with you!"

"How amazing is that! So convenient too!" Draco had found a friend in Mr Weasley at that point as they delved into a deep conversation on the different inventions they had found in the Muggle world that would be much more useful than their Wizarding counterpart. For a while Percy and Bill joined in, and Harry could see George marvelling at the pen as he made rapid notes in his new journal on what could only be more Muggle inspired inventions. Molly Weasley watched as her husband was enraptured in the inner workings of a pen with slight exasperation, but overwhelming fondness at the same time.

"Uncle Harry look" Draco got me a little broom!" All eyes turned to Teddy as he yelled in joy and Harry looked down at his lap to see him holding a small training broom. He had decided against getting him one himself as he wasn't sure whether Andromeda would be okay with it, plus it was a rather expensive gift, but then he should have expected nothing less from Draco.

"Really Draco? What is Andromeda going to say when she sees this?" It was the long suffering tone to his voice that drew a grin out of his boyfriend as a mildly smug tone crept into his voice while explaining.

"I already asked her in advance, she said that she had no problem with it as long as we kept him accompanied and made sure that we use cushioning charms. Come on Harry, I was his age when I first learnt to fly, he'll love it, wont you Teddy?" The little boy was grinning as he bounded over to Draco and gave him the biggest hug he could with such small arms.

"I can't wait!"

Hours later as everyone had settled down and began to relax after eating the huge and delightful feast that Mrs Weasley had pulled out all the stops on, Harry was in the kitchen doing the dishes by hand. Molly hated it but Harry always made her sit down with a cup of tea as he did the washing up on Christmas Day, his thank you to her for always welcoming him into their family.

Draco was in the living room with the rest of the Weasleys and a worn out and tired Teddy snuggled on his lap as he excitably discussed the Muggle world with Mr Weasley and even the older Weasley sons who were interested. Harry couldn't stop the grin from erupting on his face as he gazed at his boyfriend who had seemingly enjoyed his Christmas with Harry and his family. He adored Draco and found him to be completely adorable as he rattled off all the exciting information he had learnt from his trips with Harry into the Muggle world, and all the things he wished was a part of Wizarding culture and everyday life.

Harry couldn't help chuckling as he went back to his task, acknowledging the footsteps coming from the right, but waiting for the person who had entered the room to speak first.

"Harry, why did Draco get everyone pens for Christmas? And why was he so excited about them?" It was a reasonable question, well form anyone with knowledge of the Muggle world it was. He had kind of been expecting it from Hermione, she had clearly appreciated the planner she had received from Draco, but Harry had seen her slightly confused expression at the sight of the elegant fountain pen paired with it.

"I couldn't say no to him Hermione. I don't think I've seen him that happy in a long time to be honest with you. If giving every single wizard in Britain a pen is going to make him that happy, then I'll buy him his own bloody stationery shop if I have to. Draco just loves new things, and I think it was the first thing in the Muggle world that he connected with, in a weird way, like it was the first thing that he saw that negated everything his father had every taught him about Muggles. He clung to it." That was enough of a reason for Harry to indulge his boyfriend in buying everyone pens for Christmas, and was apparently enough for Hermione, who nodded her head and went back to enjoying the fun with the rest of the Weasleys.

Later that evening as the couple exchanged gifts together, choosing to share their personal presents more privately, Harry watched as Draco's eyes lit up and he smiled in pure joy opening the beautifully expensive stationery set. A gold and a silver fountain pen with his names etched into them sat flush in a small wooden box, padded on the inside in emerald velvet. A sharp and stunningly crafted letter opener with an ornate dragon wrapped around its handle completed the set. Draco was buzzing with pure excitement as his fingers flitted over the present, and his mouth opened and closed, unable to get the words out.

"I love you Draco," was all that Harry could say in that moment as grey and green eyes met, pure love and affection flowing between them. A multitude of words had been left unsaid and neither had expected the moment to come so quickly and so heavily, and yet it felt so right. To say those words to Draco, to Malfoy of all people, it felt unequivocally right.

"I love you too Harry." That was all that he needed to hear.

Ta-da! I took comments into consideration and decided to go ahead and write about their Christmas at the Weasleys. I hope you like it and please give me some feedback and let me know what you thought!