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It took ten whole minutes for the train to arrive, the anxiously waiting students shifting their weight from foot to foot. Harry looked down at his snake in her cage. He would have to feed her soon, and all her food was packed away.

Harry glanced to the right when a hand slid into his.

"Ready?" Draco asked as he adjusted his green-and-silver scarf with his other hand. "My parents are super excited to see you."

"I think so. I'd like to get to know your parents better, that's for sure. Ah— you have a snowflake in your hair." Harry flicked the speck of ice out of the blond fluff atop the boy's head. "You think they'll like me?"

Draco gave his boyfriend's hand a squeeze. "Of course they will. You're fantastic."

"It's nice to not have to spend the holidays at school."

"We're going to have a fantastic Christmas— oh! There's the train!"

The boys found a compartment and settled in. Draco fell asleep with his head in Harry's lap. His black cat was stretched out on the floor. Harry couldn't stop staring at Draco's cheeks, pink from the cold. 

He felt like the luckiest boy alive. 

When the train arrived at the station, Harry gently woke his partner. Draco sat up slowly, grimacing.

"My neck is so sore," he complained.

Harry reached down to scoop up the cat. "You slept for a long time."

"I see my parents on the platform." Draco got close to the window, pointing with a gloved hand. "Right there. Wasn't sure if they'd both come."

"Can you put Dory in her cage? I'll get the bags."

Draco took his cat from Harry and scratched behind her ears. "In you go."

The two boys exited the train, laden with luggage. They had been to Hogsmeade the week before to find presents for the Malfoys and each other, making their suitcases even heavier. But they managed, slowly, and made it to where Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy were waiting for them.

Narcissa Malfoy pulled her son into a hug, kissing the top of his head. "I missed you so much, sweetheart."

"I missed you too, Mum." Draco smiled at her. "The train was so late."

Lucius Malfoy placed a firm hand on his son's shoulder. "Do you have all your things?"

"Mhmm." Draco picked his suitcase back up. Harry had both pet carriers and a satchel thrown over his shoulder. He didn't have much to bring with him for the holidays— almost all his possessions were school supplies. "How are we getting back to the Manor?"

"Apparation." Lucius looked over at Harry. "Have you ever Apparated before?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know what it is, sir."

"Right." Lucius and Narcissa exchanged a glance. "Perhaps we should use the Floo network instead."

"I've traveled by that before," Harry said. "But I didn't end up in the right place…"

"You have to say the words very carefully." Draco gave Harry a reassuring smile. "The connecting port is this way. It's so cool, Harry. There's some sort of contraption that dispenses a perfect dose of Floo powder when you put in your coins."

"Oh, like a vending machine?"

"A what?"

"You put in money, tell the machine what snack you want, and it gives you your candy bar or whatever. They have one at the public library near my house. But I've never actually used it."

Narcissa placed one hand on each of the boys' backs, leading them toward the Floo dispenser. "We don't mind having you stay with us one bit, Harry. But I would like to know, why exactly aren't you staying with your aunt and uncle?"

"They're Muggles, Cissa," Lucius said, leading the way with his black cane. "Do you blame the boy?"

"Um," Harry murmured. "They don't…well, they have their own Christmas plans. I'm not really part of their family. My aunt and uncle prefer me staying somewhere else."

"Well, we want you here." Draco gave Harry a smile. "I think you are going to have a fantastic time. Christmas at our house is no laughing matter. Oh, and you'll be here for the Winter Solstice celebration! That will be your first one, won't it?"

"I suppose. I…never realized people celebrated that."

Lucius Malfoy gave an indignant laugh. "We celebrate Christmas for the fun of it. But like how Catholics observe their dates with religious fervor… well, this is our Ash Wednesday."

"More like Mardi Gras!" Draco laughed. "Father, do you remember when Uncle Morpheus got drunk and passed out in the parlor? His robes caught fire on one of the candelabras!"

"Draco," Narcissa scolded.

He shrugged. "It was funny."

"My Aunt Marge drank too much egg nog once," Harry said. "She stumbled around so much she knocked over the plum pudding."

"Egg nog, is that like lait de poule?"

"I…think so?"

"My mum's French." 

Lucius Malfoy glanced at Harry. "We have very special traditions in this family. I don't expect you to understand, but I do hope you can enjoy being exposed to your culture. It's quite a pity you never had the chance before this."

"I suppose I'm getting the best of both worlds," Harry said. "I saw what Muggles do and how my mother would have done it when she was young. Now I see what my father and grandparents would have done."

They had arrived at the port to connect them to the Floo network. Indeed, the contraption was much like a vending machine. Lucius Malfoy deposited a Sickle for each person and when Harry offered a coin for himself, he was politely turned down. Harry took a deep breath, being second-to-last to travel, and spoke.

"Malfoy Manor," he said, as confidently as he could manage.

In a flicker, he was standing in a marble fireplace, staring at the grandest room he had ever seen. It almost looked better than Hogwarts.

Harry looked down at his shoes, now covered in soot. He looked at Draco, who was waiting by a cream-colored sofa.

"The carpet…" he sighed.

"Oh, it's alright." Draco waved him forward. "Just come on. My mum's gonna be coming soon and you do not want her landing on top of you."

Harry hurried forward, immediately taking his shoes off when he was out of the way. Draco immediately grabbed his wrist, suitcase in the other hand. Dory the cat was already scuttling around on the floor.

"I'll show you my room," he said. "You can sleep in a guest suite, if you want. But my parents said you're allowed to stay in mine."

"They don't think we'll get up to nonsense?" Harry teased.

Draco swallowed hard. "My parents…they think we're just friends."

"What?!"

He was shushed. Harry sighed.

"You told me that you were going to come out to them."

"I…said I would . Never that I did."

Harry sighed again. Draco pulled him up the stairs, avoiding looking at his eyes.

"And anyway, there would be no hanky panky in this household. I would never."

"Hanky what?"

"That's what my mum calls it, when she's joking around." Draco opened a door near the end of the sweeping hall. "I don't want to talk about this."

"I was just messing with you, honey."

"I know." Draco set his bag down. "Here's my bedroom. My parents let me decorate however I liked. What do you think?"

Harry stared in amazement. The room was as big as the entire Gryffindor common room. "Wow," Harry whispered. 

Draco took out his wand and waved it carefully, an array of candles around his room beginning to flicker. 

"I thought we couldn't use magic outside of school," Harry said.

"It's different for families like mine. We live in a wizarding village. It's kind of like Godric's Hollow, where your parents lived. I think tonight we're going to one of my favorite restaurants. It's sort of like the Three Broomsticks. You'll love it."

Harry did a circle around the room, running his fingers along the sill of a large bay window. One wall was covered in shelves. It was mostly full of books, but there was a fair share of vinyl records, knickknacks, and stuffed animals. There were plants everywhere . Each possible surface had a plant sitting on it. Dory had a cat tree in one corner that reached all the way to the ceiling. A roll-top desk was in one corner, and a hanging macrame chair in the other. In the center of the room was Draco's bed. A deep emerald duvet was spread across the mattress and pillows were stacked high. Harry was nearly speechless.

The first thing that popped out at him was the poster beside a ginormous Slytherin banner.

"I thought your parents didn't like Muggle stuff." Harry pointed at the Night At the Opera poster. "That's a Muggle band."

"You can't look at Freddie Mercury's outfits and tell me that he isn't just a little bit Wizardy. I can convince my parents. They've also gotten more lax… I don't know, it's complicated. I can never tell what my dad chooses to be mad about."

"I didn't know what to get you for Christmas. Because of all that. So I just got you something entirely, unquestionably wizard."

"Better not be a Zonko's."

"...Maybe."

Draco pulled Harry into a kiss. He ran his fingers through Harry's curls and smiled against his lips.

"You're horrible," he teased. "Let me show you the garden— you'll love it."

The two boys dashed through the snow, laughing. When they came to the garden, Harry's jaw dropped.

"Where the hell did the snow go?!" he exclaimed.

Draco smirked. "It's sort of like an invisible greenhouse. It keeps our plants healthy. See, those raspberry bushes are perfectly fine. The frost doesn't touch them at all."

The two boys strolled around the plants, eating a few berries as they went. When they headed inside to bring up the idea of dinner, Draco went to the bathroom. Harry stood nervously still in the middle of the parlor, crossing his arms over his chest.

“…I understand that, Yaxley. Yes, yes he is currently under my roof.” Lucius Malfoy’s voice filtered into the room from his office. “With Black on the loose, there’s no telling what will happen. After Peter— no, I would never! He is my son’s best friend— you have some nerve!”

Harry turned away, trying to drown out the conversation. Whatever was happening, he didn’t want to know.

Draco came back, wrapping his arms around Harry’s waist. “What’s the matter, sweetie?”

“Nothing.” Harry smiled weakly. “Just tired.”

“Well, I’ll go tell my father we’re ready for dinner. Then maybe we can cuddle and watch a film or something.”

“You have a VHS player?”

“A what?”

Harry just shook his head, chuckling. “Nevermind.”

The Malfoys and Harry pulled on their thickest coats and walked the short while into the village. Harry felt so out of place. It was like his first day in Diagon Alley all over again.

"I hope you're hungry," Mrs. Malfoy said, smiling politely at Harry. "Myrddin's Tavern is our absolute favorite."

Draco pulled his scarf off as they entered the tavern. He pointed toward a table in the back, surrounded by big, frosty windows. "That's where we usually sit. That okay?"

Harry just nodded. His eyes kept darting around the room, trying to take in everything around him as if it would soon disappear.

"How about we start with an order of salmon bacstaí? " Mr. Malfoy offered. "Do you have any allergies, Harry?"

"No, sir. Um, what exactly is back-stee?"

Draco slid into his chair, patting the seat beside him. "They're potato pancakes from Ireland. The ones here come with salmon in this really good sour cream sauce."

"I've never had salmon," Harry said. "What's it like?"

"Fishy." Draco spread out the menu in front of Harry. "You can pick whatever you like."

"Do they have like…chicken tenders?"

Mrs. Malfoy laughed. Harry reached for Draco's hand under the table.

"How about we share this? Just Shepard's Pie. You've had that before, right?"

"Yeah. My uncle likes it a lot."

"There we go." Draco gave his hand a squeeze. "And then we can do cranachan for dessert."

"Well, I'm making that for the solstice," Mrs. Malfoy said. "So perhaps something else. That way Harry can try a wide range of foods, right, honey?"

Draco was completely oblivious to the edge in his mother's voice. "Maybe pwdin eva, then. That's like apple crumble, sort of. Or honestly, we could have chocolate cake. Ooh, or ice cream at home!"

"Calm down, Draco," Mr. Malfoy chuckled. 

"I just like food. And cooking. I should make you breakfast!"

Harry smiled. "I like your enthusiasm. I didn't know you could cook."

He didn't say very much throughout the meal. The food was indeed delicious, but he didn't eat much of it. His stomach hurt. He felt like he wanted to go home, even though he had no home to go to. 

"Do you feel okay?" Draco asked as he was laying out his pajamas for the night. "You seem off."

"I don't know."

"My parents like you." Draco slipped behind a dressing screen — a dressing screen! Was this Cinderella's castle?! — and changed into his sleepwear. "So you don't need to be worried about that. I think you'll have a good time staying with us."

"I just feel so out of place."

Draco frowned. "We're trying to be welcoming, we really are."

"I know, it's not your fault." Harry flopped on the bed with a sigh. "I'm just so incredibly upset that I can't go have Christmas with my family and have all these traditions that I understand and blah blah blah. I just want to be somewhere that I belong. And even Hogwarts feels like… ever since the thing with the Chamber of Secrets it has been insane. I hate being in Slytherin. I can't believe I let the Sorting Hat convince me otherwise. I don't belong. I'm so sick and tired of being an outcast but I'm so used to it that I separate myself even when I don't have to."

Draco sat on the edge of the mattress, running his fingers through Harry's curls. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to help."

"I just want to sleep."

"Maybe you are tired and that's making it worse." Draco slid closer to Harry. "In the morning, I will do everything I can to help you feel better. Maybe you should just think of this whole experience as getting to learn more about wizard culture rather than being sad that you didn't already know it. Though, I completely understand why you are upset. And I'm so sorry you don't feel right in our House. But I'll always be there."

Harry slipped his hand into Draco's. "I know."

"Goodnight, sweetie." He kissed Harry's forehead. "I'll turn out the lamp."

-xXx-

"Don't burn your tongue!" Draco laughed.

Harry winced, recoiling from the boiling liquid in his mug. "I thought it was cold!"

"It's in a mug!"

"Still!" Harry tentatively sniffed the contents of his mug. "Is that nutmeg?"

"And ginger." Draco blew on his drink before taking a sip. "Widdershins makes the best wassail. My father likes his with brandy, but he won't let me try it."

"Who's Widdershins?"

"One of our house elves." Draco took another sip. "Are you going to help me with the decorations or stand and watch?"

"You have more than one house elf?"

"Of course. This house is huge! Dobby had been here a long time. Used to watch little me when my parents were busy, but when I grew out of that he would assist my father in things."

"Right." Harry cleared his throat. He was trying very hard not to think of the way Lucius Malfoy kicked Dobby down the stairs the year prior. "How do we do this?"

Draco set his mug down and picked up his needle and thread. "You just poke it through the cranberry. Like this."

"No, but the popcorn keeps breaking!"

"It likes to do that. Don't be so forceful."

"This is impossible."

Draco laughed. "Oh, the fire's going out." He stood up. "I gotta go tell my dad."

"It's kinda warm in here, babe."

"No, it's like the Olympic torch. You keep it burning the whole holiday season."

Harry nodded, turning back to his popcorn threading. "Seems like a waste of wood."

"You would think. But a lot of people like to use the ashes for potions and things. The apothecary buys it from people. They make some sort of frostbite salve out of it."

"Is it really a magical ingredient?"

"Anything's magic if you're creative enough."

Draco disappeared down the hall, reappearing with a plate of shortbread biscuits and a house elf. The elf placed another log in the grand fireplace and poked it so the embers began to glow with more fervor.

"Thank you, Wopsy," Draco said. "That should be good for another few hours."

The house elf nodded politely. "Yes, Young Master Draco."

"Have you figured out the popcorn yet?" Draco asked as the elf left the room.

Harry glanced at the door it had just walked through. "Why does he call you that?"

"Because that's how they address my parents. I don't know, I'm used to it."

"You don't think it's weird?"

Draco shrugged. "I just try to be nice to them."

Harry didn't say anything. He turned back to his strand of popcorn and cranberries, which was coming along quite nicely, and focused.

A few hours later, the two boys and Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy nibbled on dinner while hanging up strands of mistletoe. Well, Lucius Malfoy hung it up while Narcissa held his ladder. The boys ate chocolate frogs.

"Hey, Daddy, you hung it upside down," Draco said. "The stem goes at the bottom."

Lucius shook his head. "Not this year. We're hanging it this way….just to be safe."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we are a family very in tune with the Dark Arts, yes…well, it was just fine hanging our mistletoe upside down as a way of counteracting the spirit-repelling properties but…oh, love. We're just being cautious. With your friend and all."

Harry did not like the implications of that one bit. Draco sat back against the pillows on the sofa. 

"Alright." He flipped over the card inside the frog box. "Hey, look! Circe. I needed her for my collection."

Harry sighed. He didn't know why he still felt upset, but he was. And incredibly sick to his stomach, even though he had hardly eaten a thing.

-xXx-

"Sweetie," Draco said, poking Harry in the shoulder. "Wake up! It's Solstice today."

"The sun isn't even up," Harry groaned, pulling blankets over his head.

Draco laughed. "That's kind of the point. Come on, breakfast is the best part! And we should get ready before my family comes over."

After a lot of poking, Harry finally got out of bed. The two boys dressed and headed down the stairs. The table was covered with food. Harry's eyes widened.

" — my cousin Sirius," Narcissa Malfoy was saying. When she saw the boys, she quickly shut her mouth. "Uh, good morning, dears. Why don't you have a seat?"

Lucius sighed. "He won't. He hasn't the nerve, Cissa." He then wrapped Draco up in a hug. "Happy Solstice, precious. Sleep well?"

"Mhmm. Woah, are those scones?"

Narcissa smiled. "They are indeed. Raspberry."

"Oh my goodness, thank you!"

"Anything for my Draco." She walked over and gave him a kiss on his forehead. "Harry, you can help yourself, okay? Have as much as you want."

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," Harry said, sitting at the table. Draco sat beside him and started piling food on his plate. 

"Eat something," Draco nudged. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Yeah, some tea?"

The group ate breakfast before Draco and Harry rush back outside to play in the snow. Harry hits Draco right in the face with a snowball, laughing.

"Harry!" Draco exclaims, running toward him. He grabbed a handful of snow and tossed it right in the boy's face. "Payback."

They laughed and goofed around until they were frozen solid. When they returned inside, some of Draco's family members had begun arriving. Draco said a quick hello while Harry snuck up the back stairs. He didn't want to be gawked at that moment.

Draco joined Harry upstairs a few moments later. He guided Harry to a little sitting room where a big sheet was hanging on the wall. Draco turned to a shelf of boxes.

"Let's watch a movie. What do you want to see?"

Harry shrugged. "Surprise me."

"Maybe… How the Grinch Stole Christmas! " Draco took a long roll of film out of a box and hooked it up to an old-fashioned movie projector. "Festive enough. Get a blanket from that chest there."

Harry found a big grey quilt and the boys snuggled under it, holding hands while they watched their movie. When Mrs. Malfoy called them down to dinner, they sighed.

"At least the food will be spectacular," Draco said. "And then on Christmas, we'll open presents."

The dining room was full of candles of green and red, hovering in mid-air like the Great Hall at Hogwarts. It was nearly as big as the Great Hall, too. The table was long and sleek, made of dark wood. There must have been twenty-something chairs set around it. And it was piled high with food.

Harry took his seat beside Draco and washed everyone else for a clue as to what he should do. On his plate was a sprig of holly. When he saw Draco tuck it in his own buttonhole, Harry did the same.

"Like that?" Harry asked.

Draco smiled. "Perfect. We keep them until the Spring Equinox. A sign of good fortune."

"You wear it?"

"No, just put it by your bed or something."

Harry nodded. His palms were sweating. Draco had so many relatives and many of them were looking at him while whispering to each other in French.

Lucius Malfoy sat at the head of the table, and when he was perfectly satisfied with the amount of gossip that had happened, he stood up with his flute of mulled wine. 

"A toast," he said. "To great fame, fortune, and family. May the coming year be even greater than the last and our blood stronger than before."

The conglomerate of Malfoys, Blacks, and a Potter raised their glasses. Harry took a small sip of his own mulled wine and coughed.

"It's something, isn't it?" Draco teased.

Harry cleared his throat, thankful that water was also on the table. 

The meal was every bit as tasty as Draco promised, but quite uncomfortable. Everyone was stealing glances at him, but no one said a single word to him. He was thankful when the feast was over.

"Here's my favorite part," Draco said. "So, everyone takes a candle and the head of each household in the village takes exactly one hundred drams of Yule ashes and we sort of…parade around the square, for good fortune and health. God, it's so much fun. The church bells ring and everything."

"Do you scatter the ashes?"

"Just watch."

Draco was wrapped in a thick scarf as the troupe headed to the town center. He held his candle upright, very careful not to get any wax on his gloves. Harry was beside him, staring at the baby flames.

Harry's back was pressed up against a brick wall as the townspeople circled the epicenter of the village. He stood behind Draco, watching with burning intrigue. Mr. Malfoy stepped forward first, walking with his jar to where a large statue of one of Draco's ancestors, who Harry assumed founded the village, stood.

Wordlessly, Lucius dropped a pinch of ash on the pedestal of the statue. Right as he returned to his own group, the next family deposited a bit of their own ashes. On and on it went until the last person had gone. The churchbell rang, startling Harry.

Draco chuckled. "And now, the fun part."

He really wasn't kidding. Maybe he didn't like these snobby relatives of the Malfoys, but there was something about singing Christmas carols while marching through the snow that made the tension dissipate. Draco had his arm looped in Harry's and laughed every time his big boots kicked snow up onto Harry. 

"I've never seen your father this giddy," Harry laughed.

Lucius Malfoy was leading the festive parade, throwing out handfuls of ash around the perimeter of the town like it was candy to children. 

Draco smirked. "He likes all this attention. Such a narcissist."

When Harry returned home, hoarse and frozen, he was thankful for the warm, spiced bath awaiting him. Dried oranges and petals floated in the water while sage burned on a tray. Harry was impressed. These houselves sure knew what they were doing.

He sat in the water until all the warmth had seeped into him. When he toweled off and went back to Draco's bedroom, the boy was sprawled out on his bed, fast asleep.

"Aw." Harry brushed Draco's wet hair off his face. "Goodnight, my stars."

He softly kissed him before turning out the light.

-xXx-

Christmas morning, Harry cried. And he's not even ashamed to admit it. The very last thing he was expecting was a gift under the tree with his name on it, given by none other than Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy.

He was already tearing up before he even opened it. But when he did, his breath caught in his throat. It was a Puddlmere United jersey, folded and pressed, with an autographed note from the team.

"Um, that was your father's favorite pro team," Narcissa murmured. "He used to wear their merchandise all the time. Severus told us that."

Harry couldn't keep in the sob that burned in his chest. He had to hide his face in his hands, trembling.

"Oh, he hates it," Lucius breathed. "Harry, we didn't—"

He shook his head. "It's… it's so perfect. Oh, god. You really didn't have to get me anything."

"We wanted to." Narcissa smiled nervously. "You're special to our Draco, so you're special to us."

Harry held the jersey close. He had to lean on Draco to calm down. God, was this what it felt like to have a family? Harry didn't know if he could ever go without one again.

He didn't take off the jersey the whole day. Not during the intense game of gobstones he played with Lucius or when decorating gingerbread men with Narcissa and Draco. During dinner, he popped open his Christmas cracker and wore his blue paper crown proudly. It matched the team colors.

Harry was buzzing with happiness. The moment he and Draco were alone, he found his opportunity to release his pent-up excitement. 

"Come here," Harry said, leaning back on the sofa. 

Draco sat beside his boyfriend and tucked his feet underneath himself. He leaned into Harry's side.

"You want to be snuggled?" Harry laughed. He wrapped his arms around Draco. "Alright, baby. Thank you for the Christmas present."

"Of course. But that was just from my parents. I got you something else. It's upstairs." Draco kissed Harry's cheek. "I love you . A lot."

Harry smiled. "I love you, too."

"Kiss me." Draco leaned in closer, lips brushing Harry's. "Kiss me until I'm dizzy."

"Your wish is my command." Harry's hands grabbed Draco's waist, holding him still while their lips met. "You taste like peppermint."

"Shh. " Draco kissed him again. "Just shh."

The two boys made out until Draco ended up in Harry's lap, pulling on his dark curls. Harry couldn't get enough of the candy-cane-kisses, desperately trying to get closer and closer to Draco.

He moaned softly, making Harry laugh. "Don't tease me," Draco hissed. "Please."

"I'm not teasing you. I just didn't expect you to react like that."

"You're a really good kisser."

"I know." Harry pulled Draco in for more. "My god, you're so fucking cute."

Draco smirked. "I know."

Harry slipped his hands inside Draco's sweater, pressing his palms to his middle. Draco moaned again when Harry's hands caressed his chest.

"Oh my," Draco breathed. "Maybe we should stop."

"Are we could go up to your room. I have a condom, if that's what you want. Or we could do something else."

"No, no way." Draco leaned back. "We're too young for that."

Harry shrugged. "I forget you aren't part of the Quidditch scene like I am."

"Oh my god. Wait, have you—?!"

"Maybe."

"You cheated on me?!"
"Woah, no! Not at all. Before we got together. We've only been dating since Halloween."

Draco bit his lip. "Holy shit."

"What? Baby, I would never cheat on you."

"Yeah, I'm sorry for thinking that. Can we just stick to kissing? Please? You can touch me, too, but only in the places that I said were okay."

"I know. I'm not gonna touch you where you don't like." Harry pulled him in for another kiss. "And don't feel pressured to do anything you don't want to do. I haven't even gone all the way, so, no expectations at all."

Draco nodded, wrapping his arms around Harry's neck. They kissed fervently, wrapped in their shared blanket. They were so lost in each other, they didn't hear footsteps coming into the sunroom. 

"Oh Merlin's beard," Lucius Malfoy gasped. 

His son backed away from Harry so fast, he fell off the couch and banged his head on the coffee table. "Shit," he muttered. "Shit, shit, shit! Father, I can explain—"

"You…don't need to. Your mother was saying she was suspicious— oh dear." Lucius took a deep breath. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Draco touched his sore head and his fingers came back with blood on them. "Ow."

"Would you like me to pretend like I didn't see anything so we can have this conversation after your…companion leaves? Or would you like to talk now? After I fetch something for your head."

"I was going to tell you before I went back to school," Draco said, slowly standing up. "Harry, can you get me some ice?"

Harry was eager to leave the situation, darting out of the room.

Lucius sat where Harry had been, sighing. "I understand being wary of telling us about Harry. But you could have told us that you were bisexual."

"There's the killer," Draco muttered. "I'm not, Dad. I'm gay. Like really, really gay. Fully homosexual. The whole kit and sparkly kaboodle."

His father was silent. Draco expected him to say something about procreation and heirs and all that bullshit he was so used to hearing, but Lucius surprised him.

"Does he make you happy?"

Draco glanced at the door where Harry had left. His head was throbbing. "Yes. We've been together since Halloween. I've been really happy with him."

"And you're alright with yourself?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't want you to feel like you have something to be ashamed about." Lucius gave Draco's hand a little squeeze before dropping it. "Your mother and I love you, no matter what. And as long as you're happy and thinking responsibly, we will support you. I think Harry is a lovely choice for you, anyway. Not a huge fan of his heritage, but, you cannot have it all. You two seem to get along well. Aside from what I saw. I mean in general."

Draco laughed. "We do."

"Are you going to tell your mother?"

"Probably tomorrow. She's sleeping now, right?"

"Yes. You do know this means that Harry will have to sleep in a guest room, right?"
"Dad! That's not fair. We haven't done anything. And we won't! Please, I like sleeping with him."

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Very well." He pulled Draco into a hug. "I love you no matter what, Draco. Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas, Dad."

-xXx-

Harry sat on Draco's bed, unwrapping his gift while Draco held the bag of ice to his head. The package was wrapped beautifully, tied up with twine. Harry felt a little bad messing it up.

Inside was a little golden snitch, hanging delicately on a chain. Draco smiled. "I have one that matches," he said, pulling the necklace out from under his sweater to show it. "When you hold it, mine will get warm. So we know when we're thinking about each other."

Harry couldn't stop himself. He kissed Draco so hard, the boy gasped. He kissed me again and again, smiling so big his face hurt.

"I love you so much." He leaned back. "Bloody hell, now my gift will seem lame."

"I doubt it." Draco opened his own gift, wrapped in newspaper. "How did you know?!"

"A hunch."

Draco was holding a very detailed coloring book of the human anatomy, complete with an index and notes to boot. He was flabbergasted.

"I… I mean, I said I found healing magic interesting…"

Harry shrugged. "You strike me as a good doctor. Whenever I have Quidditch injuries, you're quite sweet and helpful."

Draco flipped through the pages in awe. He ran his fingers along the diagram of the heart's chambers, biting his lip.

"I always thought it was such a stupid dream."

"It's not. Not in the slightest. You are perfect for it. Smart and kind and compassionate. And you're fucking funny . Distract me when things hurt."

Draco smiled. "Thank you, baby. You're so…everything."

The two sat comfortably by Draco's fireplace, basking in both the warmth and each other.

Every moment since, Harry found time to touch his necklace. A decade or two later, every time his husband was in the throes of a complex surgery at St. Mungo's, Harry would clutch the necklace, so Draco always knew he was right there.