Fill Your Heart With Christmas Cheer
Banner by the delightful capitu
Title: Fill Your Heart With Christmas Cheer
Author: enchanted_jae
Character(s): Harry/Draco, Weasleys, Narcissa, ocs
Rating: PG
Warning(s): Flangst
Word count: 2370
Summary: A very Potter-Malfoy Christmas
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of JK Rowling, et al. This fic/drabble was written for fun, not for profit.
Written for:
♦ Jae's Advent Drabbles No. 25 - Christmas at the Burrow
♦ dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge 2023 No. 25 - Reindeer Games
♦ newyearcntdown New Year's Countdown Challenge, Day 25 - feast
♦ adventdrabbles Prompt No. 25 - Silent Night
♦ slythindor100 Traditional Prompt No. 25 - Roast
"Dad!"
"Daddy! Santa brung presents!"
"Hurry, Dad! Dad!"
Harry groaned and spooned closer to Draco. His hand wandered and got smacked. "Ouch! Grinch."
"There's no time for that," said Draco. "If we linger, the children will stage a rebellion."
Harry groaned again. He rolled away from Draco and sat up. "Go on down," he called through the closed door. "We'll be down shortly. No opening gifts!"
Small feet thudded away, accompanied by excited chatter.
Harry cracked a yawn and perched his glasses on his nose. "Shall we go see what Santa brung us?"
~*~
The children had been allowed to empty their stockings while waiting for Narcissa to arrive. The cats, Kneazle, and dog had been given the goodies from their stockings as well. When Narcissa came, she was bearing yet more gifts for the children and wearing the pink, cat-bedecked jumper Harry had selected for her to wear to the Burrow.
Harry eyed the precariously piled presents beneath the tree and announced, "We should have breakfast first."
"Da-ad!"
"No, Daddy!"
Harry laughed and relented. He donned his Santa hat, handed Draco's hat to him, and they began to pass out the presents.
Ben was delighted with his carved Kneazle. "It looks just like Barney!"
"I got a badger!" cried Carolyn, admiring her carved figurine from Toadvine's Toy Shop.
"Mine's a fwog!" Jasmin exclaimed, waving her frog around.
Both Narcissa and Carolyn were charmed by their badger charms. Narcissa immediately added hers to the charm bracelet she wore.
Once the children had opened all their gifts, Harry and Draco sat on the sofa to open theirs.
"Another pair of ridiculous pants, Harry?" Draco grumbled, holding a pair of red pants with a llama on the front.
Harry grinned at Draco's expression. "They match your ugly jumper," he said. "That means I expect you to wear them to the Burrow later."
Ben and Carolyn giggled.
Draco heaved a long-suffering sigh before opening the box from Yves le Carriere. "Oh, now these are nice, Harry," he said, admiring the dragon cuff links. "Thank you."
Jasmin handed Harry a poorly-wrapped gift. "Dis is from me, Daddy."
"Ooh, what is it?" Harry asked.
"You hafeta open it."
It took Harry a long moment to defeat all the tape Jasmin had used, but he finally opened his own box from Toadvine's. "Wow," he said when he beheld a finely carved reindeer, complete with a harness and tiny bells.
"It's Howad!" Jasmin squealed, hopping up and down in excitement.
"Was this what you and Daddy got for me on your super-secret mission?"
"Yes, Daddy!"
"Thank you very much," Harry told her, leaning over to kiss Jasmin's cheek.
"Mr Toadvine said they were selling out so quickly he could barely keep up with the demand," said Draco.
That explained what the old wizard had hidden away the day Harry strolled into his shop. "Did he offer me a cut of the profits?"
Harry got pelted in the head with a wad of wrapping paper for his trouble.
Finally, all of the presents had been opened and exclaimed over. Cassi and Nick were having a grand time, diving into the cast-off paper, while Chewy shoveled through the paper with his nose. Barnabus stayed out of the fray, perched regally atop the back of the sofa.
"Okay," said Harry, standing up. "Now it really is time for breakfast. You can play with your new toys for a bit after, but then we'll need to get ready to go to the Burrow."
~*~
It took some doing, but Harry convinced Draco to pose for a photo wearing only his llama jumper and llama pants. He took the picture with his mobile and smiled at the result. "You could have tried to look sultry instead of sullen."
"That photo had better not be seen by any eyes but yours, Harry Potter-Malfoy."
"I reckon Skeeter would pay a small fortune for it. Ouch!" Harry frowned at Draco and rubbed his bum, where his dastardly husband had hit him with a mild stinging hex. "Ponker," he muttered before stepping into a pair of jeans and retrieving his own jumper. Harry pulled it over his head, replaced his glasses, and smoothed his hair.
"How does it look?" he asked.
Draco appraised him. "It's not really what I would consider ugly."
"Watch this," said Harry. He reached beneath the hem of the jumper and turned on the LED display, causing the fireplace motif to appear to flicker. Harry laughed as Draco goggled at him.
Draco approached and tentatively touched the flickering flames. "Is that magical?"
"No, it's Muggle," Harry replied. "See?" He showed Draco how the display turned on and off.
Draco shook his head. "Let's collect Mum and the children and get going."
~*~
Harry stepped out of the Floo with Carolyn, followed by Draco and Ben, and finally Narcissa and Jasmin. They were greeted by a rousing din and a sea of gingers. Harry handed a bottle of wine to Arthur before wading into the madness. Narcissa headed for the kitchen to see if Molly needed any help and returned a moment later, no doubt having been told that it was under control. Draco was surrounded by ginger girls exclaiming in delight over his llama jumper. It didn't seem it would win any prizes today. Harry made a production of turning on the LED fireplace on his jumper and was nearly trampled by Arthur as he rushed forward to study the Muggle marvel in their midst.
There was a stampede when Molly called the horde to the table. The feast laid out reminded Harry of Hogwarts. There was roast turkey, stuffing, roasted veg, potatoes and gravy, and homemade rolls. Happy conversation filled the air, along with the delectable scents of food.
When they'd eaten their fill, the adults all added their wands to the clean-up, levitating dishes, bowls, platters and cutlery to the kitchen. Molly waved her wand to start the dishes scrubbing in the sink, and then everyone returned to the lounge to open gifts.
Harry received a book on magical theory from Hermione. She nodded at his thanks and said, "I know you've been interested in such things as wandless casting and apports."
Indeed, Harry had been practicing magical transportation, although he hadn't managed anything more substantial than buttons and small coins. He turned to Draco. "Will you let me practice with your new cuff links?"
"No. Ponker."
Once the gifts beneath the tree had been opened, the children played with their toys while the adults cleared the detritus. Harry saw that Narcissa had baby Jonah in her arms and a smile on her face. Bells sounded from outside.
"Santa!" cried Hugo. The rest of the young children took up the chant until the jolly man himself burst through the door.
"Ho ho ho!" Santa boomed.
Harry chuckled, wondering how Neville managed such a robust greeting. Luna followed him, dressed as Mrs Claus. Neville handed out flat boxes containing knitted jumpers, while Luna passed out treats from her basket. Harry opened his box, revealing a lovely new jumper in a periwinkle color. He noticed that the rest of the family received jumpers in varying shades of blue. They would look smashing in them.
Narcissa received a beautiful jumper that was lavender with a cream colored N on the front. Harry saw her blink rapidly as she smoothed a hand over the fine material. "Thank you, Mrs Weasley."
"You're welcome, dear," said Molly. "And thank you for the gorgeous snow globe." The two women hugged, and it was Harry's turn to blink back moisture.
Arthur hopped up and announced the winners of the ugly jumper contest. "Third place goes to Angelina, second to Harry, and first to Bill."
There were good-natured groans all around. For the second year in a row, Josh and Ginny hadn't shopped for jumpers in the States, giving the others a chance at a prize. Harry received an ornament with two reindeer dressed in footie uniforms. It had Reindeer Games written on the base. He laughed to see it, eager to hang it on the tree when they returned home.
"Who wants to go sledding?" Bill called out. The children responded with shouts and began scrambling for their outerwear.
"Mum, please do not ride the Zephyr again," Draco begged. "You scared ten years off my life last year."
She grinned at him impishly. "No worries, darling. I plan to stay indoors and help Mrs Weasley with the babies and toddlers." She was still rocking Jonah, who was fast asleep in her arms.
Harry and Draco went out and helped the Weasley sons fetch sleds and toboggans from the shed. George retrieved the Zephyr and brought that to the top of the hill. Several children and adults made runs before Harry took Jasmin down the hill on a sled. She squealed with laughter the entire time. They made it to bottom with no problem. Harry lightened the sled and hauled it back up.
By the time he reached the top, George was preparing to take a run on the Zephyr.
"George, George, George," chanted Ginny. The others took it up. George saluted them and pushed off. He'd barely made it halfway down the hill before the Zephyr tipped, spilling him across the snow and leaving a debris trail of gloves, hat, and a boot. The Zephyr continued on, sans rider, while George sat up and brushed snow out of his hair. Everyone atop the hill laughed and cheered.
"Mrs Malfoy fared better on it than you did!" jeered Ron.
"You're welcome to give it a go, Ronniekins," George hollered back.
Harry laughed along with the others. He'd tried the Zephyr once and had no plans to tempt fate again.
~*~
By the time the Potter-Malfoys returned home, the children were exhausted. They were dressed in pyjamas and occupied with quiet activities in the family room. Harry dropped onto the sofa and put his feet up on the coffee table. He surveyed his minions before turning to smile at Draco.
"I believe we'll enjoy a silent night and a lie-in tomorrow morning."
Draco yawned. "I hope so," he murmured.
Carolyn abruptly popped up and retrieved a small, wrapped box from the mantel. "I almost forgot," she said, bringing the gift to Harry and Draco. "Mrs Lo...um, Mrs Claus gave me this and told me to give it to you when we got home."
Harry and Draco exchanged puzzled glances. Harry shrugged. "Open it," he said.
Draco removed the ribbon and immediately lost it to thieving paws. He lifted the lid and peered inside. "What is it?"
Harry recognized it, and his heart skipped a beat. He snatched the box from Draco and looked closely at the object it contained. "Draco," he breathed.
"What is it?" Draco repeated.
The children were now looking at them with open curiosity.
"It's a positive pregnancy test," said Harry. He took his glasses off and wiped at his eyes. "We're going to have a baby."
"A baby?!" Draco echoed, mouth hanging open. "She's...oh my god, Harry! We're going to have a baby?!"
"A baby?!" cried Carolyn. "How?"
Ben started to cry. "I don't want another baby!"
Harry slipped off the sofa to hug his son. "Why don't you want another baby?"
"You'll s-send me 'n Jasmin back to the...to the orphanage!"
"Oh, Ben, we'll do no such thing," said Harry, swiping now at the tears on Ben's face. Jasmin started to cry and clambered onto Draco's lap. "Do you remember last year, when we brought Barnabus and Nick home? We didn't send Cassi and Chewy back to the rescue, did we?"
Ben gulped. "N-no, but you won't l-love us if there's a new baby."
"Benjamin, do you love Cassi and Chewy any less because you now have Barnabus to play with?"
"N-no."
"Exactly," said Harry. "Having a new cat and Kneazle means you have more pets to love. Once you have a new brother or sister, there won't be less love to go around, Ben. There will be more love. You will have a new baby to love, and that baby will love you, too. Just think, when you first came to live with us, you had only Jasmin. Now you have two fathers who love you and another sister in Carolyn who loves you, too."
Carolyn scooted close and patted Ben's back. "That's right, Ben," she said softly. "I love you very much."
Ben cried harder and burrowed into Harry's chest. "I l-love you, t-t-too," he hiccuped.
Harry hugged him and smoothed his blond hair. He waited until Ben's tears ran out before setting Ben back from him. "Did you have fun at the Burrow today?"
Ben nodded.
"The Burrow is a special place," said Harry. "It's not the fanciest house, but it's filled with family, and the entire, large, mad family all love one another. Each new baby brings more love. You might not have noticed the first year we took you to the Burrow for Christmas, but everyone was so excited to meet you and welcome you to the family and love you, Ben. You and Jas and Carolyn."
"I get it," said Carolyn. "The bigger the family, the more love there is to go around."
"Absolutely," Harry agreed. He tipped Ben's chin up. "Does that make you feel better?"
Ben nodded again.
"Okay, son," said Harry, leaning forward to kiss Ben's brow. He glanced at the sofa. Jasmin was huddled on Draco's lap, her eyes wide and her thumb in her mouth.
"Jasmin Louise, what is in your mouth?" Harry asked her.
She smiled and removed it. "My sumb!"
"Yuck," said Harry, wrinkling his nose.
Jasmin giggled and squirmed off of Draco's lap. She came to Ben and patted his shoulder. "Don't cry, Ben."
Ben hugged her, then sat back and said, "Don't suck your thumb, Jas. You're not a baby."
Harry stood and stretched before sitting down beside Draco once more. "Everyone choose one book to read, and then it's time for bed."
As the children scrambled for the basket of books, Harry turned his head to share a smile with Draco. He reached out and swiped a tear off of Draco's cheek and whispered, "This is the best Christmas ever."
We Can Hardly Stand to Wait