FIC: Perplexing Presents [Harry/Draco - G]
Title: Perplexing Presents
Author/Artist: dracogotgame
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco
Prompt: fantasyfiend09's lovely prompt 75: It's still two weeks until Christmas, and the youngest child wants to know what s/he is getting. Does the child find the gifts? Are they wrapped or is the surprise ruined? Is the child delighted or disappointed? Did siblings get bigger/better gifts? Does the child mistake which gifts are meant for which child? Does Harry or Draco catch the sneaky child? Is there some moral?
Word Count: 1,233
Rating: G
Contains (Highlight to view): *Adopted children*
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: I took a few liberties with the prompt. Al and Scorpius go together for me so I made them both sneak down. I think I wedged a moral in there somewhere though. *frowns and scratches head*
Summary: The Potter Malfoy kids want their presents.
It was two weeks before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring...except two noisy ten year old boys.
“Shh!” Scorpius hissed indignantly as he crept down the stairs.
“You shh!” Al grumbled as he followed his brother. He stepped on a creaky floorboard and immediately winced as his irate sibling rounded up on him.
“Just go back upstairs,” Scorpius ordered, shooing Al away as if he were a pesky mosquito. “You’ll get us grounded for sure.”
“Will not!” Al protested. “Besides, this was my idea.”
“Yes, I’m sure you invented the sneaking down to get a peek at the Christmas presents gig,” Scorpius replied sarcastically. “A novel idea, Al. A real work of genius, that is.”
“Novel idea,” Al grumbled. “You know you sound more like Father every day, right?”
“Thank you.”
“That was not a compliment. Now move it or lose it!”
The whispering and bickering continued throughout their journey down the stairs and into the living room. The boys paused for a while, making sure that the rest of the house was still asleep. There was no sound save their own hushed breathing. Al heaved a sigh of relief and crept after Scorpius, following his quiet footsteps.
The tree towered above them and Al’s breath came out in a whoosh of excitement. It was a beauty. The biggest they’d had so far. It would take hours to decorate, but that was hardly a concern right now. Al was more focused on the shiny boxes stacked neatly under the tree.
“Jackpot!”
Scorpius grinned and started rummaging through. He pulled out a box and tossed it to Al. “This one’s yours.”
Al grinned in delight and rattled the box, albeit gently. It wouldn’t do to damage his new Chudley Canons themed Exploding Snap Cards before he actually got them. They were a collector’s item. Dad must have scoured the stores for them. He probably wanted to see Al’s face when he gave them to him.
On Christmas.
Great, now he felt guilty.
“Well, open it,” Scorpius urged impatiently. Al nodded and ignored the nagging voice of his conscience as he tore into the present. A little peek won’t hurt…
Scorpius leaned forward in anticipation. Al’s fingers trembled with excitement as he pulled off the last of the shiny green paper and pried the box open. This would be brilliant. He would finally get his very own…
“Eggs.”
Scorpius blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Eggs!” Al repeated, gawking incredulously at the box. He shook it again. The eggs rattled and rolled in the box, white and round and mocking. “I got eggs!” Albus shrilled indignantly. He could hardly believe it. “What the bleeding…”
Scorpius frowned quizzically, selected an egg and turned it around in his hands - apparently looking for some sort of button or trick lever. The egg remained entirely egg-like during his observation. Scorpius replaced it and regarded his seething brother. “What the hell?”
“I know, right?!”
“It’s because you’re adopted,” Scorpius announced decisively.
Al scowled and shoved him angrily. “We’re all adopted, genius! Open yours. And so help me, if you got the dragonhide gloves you wanted, I’m telling Aunt Hermione about this!”
“Oh, stop getting your wand in a knot,” Scorpius muttered as he pried open his present. He stuck his hand in, only to emerge with a wedge of cheese. Al succumbed to laughter as Scorpius sputtered indignantly.
“What is this?!” he demanded, manhandling the cheese indignantly. “They know I’m lactose intolerant!”
“Still better than eggs,” Al muttered. “Want to trade?”
“No way! You keep your paws off my cheese!” Scorpius snapped, cradling the wedge possessively.
“You can’t even eat it!”
“Oh, go fix yourself an omelette.”
Their voices got louder and louder as they argued. Neither of them noticed that they had company. Harry rubbed his eyes sleepily as he entered the living room, taking one look at his little monsters before groaning. “Boys. For Merlin’s sake, it’s three in the morning.”
His sons shut up immediately and turned, looking appropriately alarmed. Harry crossed his arms and put on his best Disapproving Dad face. “What are you doing out of bed?”
Scorpius’ squared his shoulders and lifted his chin in an apt imitation of one of Draco’s strops. Harry was rather impressed actually. “We’ve got some questions of our own,” his son announced, wielding his cheese.
“Yeah, we do!” Al said, holding up the eggs. “Seriously, Dad? Just how bad were we this year?”
Of course they found the gifts. Why wasn’t he surprised? Harry chuckled and ushered his indignant boys over to the couch. They glowered sullenly at him, still clutching their awful presents. “What? Don’t you like your gifts?” he teased.
“No,” they chorused.
“Why not? Between the two of you, you’ve got a perfectly balanced breakfast.”
“Dad!”
Harry grinned and ruffled Al’s hair. “Relax. I have your real presents upstairs. Those are just decoys.”
“You tricked us?” Scorpius had the gall to sound offended. “Is there no trust in this family?”
Harry smirked and beckoned him over. Scorpius was next to him in a second, curling into his shoulder like a happy kitten. Harry gathered him up readily enough. As much as Scorpius tried to imitate Draco, he was big on the cuddling. Al rolled his eyes, keeping on his side of the couch. Harry reached out and pulled him over anyway. Al held out a bit longer, but eventually settled down on Harry’s shoulder as well. Harry patted both of them fondly before launching into the lecture.
“Can we all agree that this wasn’t the smartest idea you two have ever had?”
“We just wanted to see our presents,” Scorpius mumbled. “That was a mean trick, Dad.”
“Maybe. But half the fun is waiting. Besides, Christmas is a time for family. Don’t you think Father and I want to see how happy you are when we give you your presents? That’s very important to us, you know.”
Al toyed with the cushion, looking somewhat abashed. “It is?”
Harry pressed a kiss to his forehead. “The most,” he promised.
“I suppose we can wait another week,” Scorpius sighed.
“Christmas is two weeks away,” Al pointed out.
“Oh, come on!”
Harry couldn’t help a chuckle. “You’ll survive,” he said, kissing his sulky son again. “Now go to bed, both of you. The sooner you sleep, the sooner Christmas will be here.”
They clambered off him and scampered back upstairs. Harry watched them until they were out of sight, turned out the lights and headed upstairs himself.
He almost collided with yet another one of his offspring. There was a yelp of surprise and Harry reached out on parental instinct and grabbed James before he stumbled.
James stared up at his father, fidgeting guiltily in Harry’s grip. “I was...getting a glass of water?”
Harry rolled his eyes. “I’m sure. Go back to bed.”
“But…”
“Bed. Now.”
James groaned and trudged back mournfully. Harry waited until the mutters of how does he always know? subsided before opening the door to his own room. He was still chuckling as he slipped under his covers.
“What’s goin’ on?” Draco demanded sleepily.
“Kids. Presents. It’s a long story.”
“Mm,” Draco mumbled, curling against him and closing his eyes again. “They’ll survive. Christmas is only a week away.”
“Two, actually.”
“Two?!” Draco’s eyes snapped open and he bolted up, instantly awake. “But...but you got me that cashmere scarf I wanted, right? Right?”
The End
Author/Artist: dracogotgame
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco
Prompt: fantasyfiend09's lovely prompt 75: It's still two weeks until Christmas, and the youngest child wants to know what s/he is getting. Does the child find the gifts? Are they wrapped or is the surprise ruined? Is the child delighted or disappointed? Did siblings get bigger/better gifts? Does the child mistake which gifts are meant for which child? Does Harry or Draco catch the sneaky child? Is there some moral?
Word Count: 1,233
Rating: G
Contains (Highlight to view): *Adopted children*
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: I took a few liberties with the prompt. Al and Scorpius go together for me so I made them both sneak down. I think I wedged a moral in there somewhere though. *frowns and scratches head*
Summary: The Potter Malfoy kids want their presents.
It was two weeks before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring...except two noisy ten year old boys.
“Shh!” Scorpius hissed indignantly as he crept down the stairs.
“You shh!” Al grumbled as he followed his brother. He stepped on a creaky floorboard and immediately winced as his irate sibling rounded up on him.
“Just go back upstairs,” Scorpius ordered, shooing Al away as if he were a pesky mosquito. “You’ll get us grounded for sure.”
“Will not!” Al protested. “Besides, this was my idea.”
“Yes, I’m sure you invented the sneaking down to get a peek at the Christmas presents gig,” Scorpius replied sarcastically. “A novel idea, Al. A real work of genius, that is.”
“Novel idea,” Al grumbled. “You know you sound more like Father every day, right?”
“Thank you.”
“That was not a compliment. Now move it or lose it!”
The whispering and bickering continued throughout their journey down the stairs and into the living room. The boys paused for a while, making sure that the rest of the house was still asleep. There was no sound save their own hushed breathing. Al heaved a sigh of relief and crept after Scorpius, following his quiet footsteps.
The tree towered above them and Al’s breath came out in a whoosh of excitement. It was a beauty. The biggest they’d had so far. It would take hours to decorate, but that was hardly a concern right now. Al was more focused on the shiny boxes stacked neatly under the tree.
“Jackpot!”
Scorpius grinned and started rummaging through. He pulled out a box and tossed it to Al. “This one’s yours.”
Al grinned in delight and rattled the box, albeit gently. It wouldn’t do to damage his new Chudley Canons themed Exploding Snap Cards before he actually got them. They were a collector’s item. Dad must have scoured the stores for them. He probably wanted to see Al’s face when he gave them to him.
On Christmas.
Great, now he felt guilty.
“Well, open it,” Scorpius urged impatiently. Al nodded and ignored the nagging voice of his conscience as he tore into the present. A little peek won’t hurt…
Scorpius leaned forward in anticipation. Al’s fingers trembled with excitement as he pulled off the last of the shiny green paper and pried the box open. This would be brilliant. He would finally get his very own…
“Eggs.”
Scorpius blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Eggs!” Al repeated, gawking incredulously at the box. He shook it again. The eggs rattled and rolled in the box, white and round and mocking. “I got eggs!” Albus shrilled indignantly. He could hardly believe it. “What the bleeding…”
Scorpius frowned quizzically, selected an egg and turned it around in his hands - apparently looking for some sort of button or trick lever. The egg remained entirely egg-like during his observation. Scorpius replaced it and regarded his seething brother. “What the hell?”
“I know, right?!”
“It’s because you’re adopted,” Scorpius announced decisively.
Al scowled and shoved him angrily. “We’re all adopted, genius! Open yours. And so help me, if you got the dragonhide gloves you wanted, I’m telling Aunt Hermione about this!”
“Oh, stop getting your wand in a knot,” Scorpius muttered as he pried open his present. He stuck his hand in, only to emerge with a wedge of cheese. Al succumbed to laughter as Scorpius sputtered indignantly.
“What is this?!” he demanded, manhandling the cheese indignantly. “They know I’m lactose intolerant!”
“Still better than eggs,” Al muttered. “Want to trade?”
“No way! You keep your paws off my cheese!” Scorpius snapped, cradling the wedge possessively.
“You can’t even eat it!”
“Oh, go fix yourself an omelette.”
Their voices got louder and louder as they argued. Neither of them noticed that they had company. Harry rubbed his eyes sleepily as he entered the living room, taking one look at his little monsters before groaning. “Boys. For Merlin’s sake, it’s three in the morning.”
His sons shut up immediately and turned, looking appropriately alarmed. Harry crossed his arms and put on his best Disapproving Dad face. “What are you doing out of bed?”
Scorpius’ squared his shoulders and lifted his chin in an apt imitation of one of Draco’s strops. Harry was rather impressed actually. “We’ve got some questions of our own,” his son announced, wielding his cheese.
“Yeah, we do!” Al said, holding up the eggs. “Seriously, Dad? Just how bad were we this year?”
Of course they found the gifts. Why wasn’t he surprised? Harry chuckled and ushered his indignant boys over to the couch. They glowered sullenly at him, still clutching their awful presents. “What? Don’t you like your gifts?” he teased.
“No,” they chorused.
“Why not? Between the two of you, you’ve got a perfectly balanced breakfast.”
“Dad!”
Harry grinned and ruffled Al’s hair. “Relax. I have your real presents upstairs. Those are just decoys.”
“You tricked us?” Scorpius had the gall to sound offended. “Is there no trust in this family?”
Harry smirked and beckoned him over. Scorpius was next to him in a second, curling into his shoulder like a happy kitten. Harry gathered him up readily enough. As much as Scorpius tried to imitate Draco, he was big on the cuddling. Al rolled his eyes, keeping on his side of the couch. Harry reached out and pulled him over anyway. Al held out a bit longer, but eventually settled down on Harry’s shoulder as well. Harry patted both of them fondly before launching into the lecture.
“Can we all agree that this wasn’t the smartest idea you two have ever had?”
“We just wanted to see our presents,” Scorpius mumbled. “That was a mean trick, Dad.”
“Maybe. But half the fun is waiting. Besides, Christmas is a time for family. Don’t you think Father and I want to see how happy you are when we give you your presents? That’s very important to us, you know.”
Al toyed with the cushion, looking somewhat abashed. “It is?”
Harry pressed a kiss to his forehead. “The most,” he promised.
“I suppose we can wait another week,” Scorpius sighed.
“Christmas is two weeks away,” Al pointed out.
“Oh, come on!”
Harry couldn’t help a chuckle. “You’ll survive,” he said, kissing his sulky son again. “Now go to bed, both of you. The sooner you sleep, the sooner Christmas will be here.”
They clambered off him and scampered back upstairs. Harry watched them until they were out of sight, turned out the lights and headed upstairs himself.
He almost collided with yet another one of his offspring. There was a yelp of surprise and Harry reached out on parental instinct and grabbed James before he stumbled.
James stared up at his father, fidgeting guiltily in Harry’s grip. “I was...getting a glass of water?”
Harry rolled his eyes. “I’m sure. Go back to bed.”
“But…”
“Bed. Now.”
James groaned and trudged back mournfully. Harry waited until the mutters of how does he always know? subsided before opening the door to his own room. He was still chuckling as he slipped under his covers.
“What’s goin’ on?” Draco demanded sleepily.
“Kids. Presents. It’s a long story.”
“Mm,” Draco mumbled, curling against him and closing his eyes again. “They’ll survive. Christmas is only a week away.”
“Two, actually.”
“Two?!” Draco’s eyes snapped open and he bolted up, instantly awake. “But...but you got me that cashmere scarf I wanted, right? Right?”
The End