Chapter 73

                                        

                                              
Published: 6/5/2025
Happy birthday Draco Malfoy!
Had to play fast and loose to get this done in time. Probably a bit disjointed and unedited, but it's a double chapter!

Christmas was like a dream that Draco had long forgotten. Since his fourth year, his parents stopped celebrating it. Christmas break was spent wooing favor with father's Death Eater friends. He couldn't even remember what presents he had gotten in the years before that. He remembered wrapped gifts, many... but the whole process was so formal. His father was easily stoked. There weren't many happy memories he had left of his childhood.
"Draco?" Harry asked as Draco stared at the Christmas tree in the den. 
"Yeah?"
"You, okay?" Harry asked, putting some final touches on the tree.
Harry had dragged him, Blaise and Neville outside and found a nice fat tree to cut down. Then he magicked it home, cleaned and put muggle lights on it, using magic to keep them lit. Then, the kids came over to help decorate the tree earlier that day. Harry went to the muggle store and bought every Christmas ornament and decoration that he could find: garland, tinsel, a star for the top and hundreds of ornaments and hooks for them.
He seemed so enthusiastic that Draco had to smile. Was this Christmas? The house elves had always decorated. Everything had looked so perfect, symmetrical. This tree was not, but it was beautiful. Harry had to explain to both Neville and Blaise what he wanted to do, as they weren't used to doing it either. But they all had jumped on board. Harry had the kids working on gingerbread houses, and Ron and Hermione were overseeing them.
"I don't know. Is this Christmas?" he murmured, trying to settle his feeling of uncertainty.
"Yes, well, Christmas Eve, Draco. Sorry if you're getting overwhelmed. Do you want to go to your room?"
"No... I just... I don't remember anything like this. Kinda resetting my expectations."
"Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!" belted out a muggle mugglebox that Harry had also procured.
"Kinda went all out. I wanted to make it special... for you," Harry said, and Draco hugged him.
"It is, Harry. Even if I have to listen to these Merlin-awful songs!" he said with a laugh.
Putting ornaments on the tree had been amusing, especially with Hugo and Rose running around the tree, too. Harry insisted that he use a ladder to put the ornaments on the top on, much to Draco, Neville and Blaise's confusion. Magic was not allowed, apparently.
"Did your parents never celebrate?" Harry asked.
"It was a quiet affair. No songs... eggnog?" Draco muttered, staring at the weird drink. "No laughter or happiness. Sure, I got gifts... but it wasn't this...."
"I'm sorry... can I...."
"No! Everything's... wonderful, Harry. Thank you... I like... this... I like seeing you happy and dorky."
"Hey!" Harry said.
"Dorky... and cheesy... and sweet. I like your version," Draco said and leaned in to kiss Harry. "It's wonderful, Harry. I think Neville and Blaise like it, too. Blaise didn't even celebrate Christmas at all growing up, and Neville... well... Blaise said that Neville's gran kept it minimal, and Neville always just went to St. Mungo's every year to visit his parents instead of celebrating. I can imagine it'd put a damper on his Christmas spirit."
Harry nodded, somberly. "I never had a Christmas... before Hogwarts. I would just watch my cousin get gifts and I had to clean up and make breakfast and dinner. I always wanted to... have someone... family, friends to celebrate with."