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Harry jumped when a suitcase flew at his face as he opened the front door. He scrambled to keep holding it. "Uh, hi."
"About time," Draco grumbled, walking back into the bedroom. "You have just enough time to pack."
Harry closed the door and raised his eyebrows. "Pack? Am I going somewhere? I didn't forget a...birthday or something, right?"
Draco chuckled. "No. Unlike some husbands I've heard of, you have a great memory for dates."
Harry breathed easier and joined Draco in their room. A suitcase was open on the bed and Draco had his wand out, packing things in. It looked like a week's worth of clothes. "So, if I didn't forget anything...sorry, what am I missing?"
Draco frowned. "I thought I told you."
"You've been trying to tell me something all week I think, but we kept getting interrupted." Harry put the suitcase on the bed and opened it. He started packing his own clothes.
Draco huffed, making the few strands of hair that had escaped his braid fly up. Harry was distracted for a moment, wanting to brush them aside. Maybe enjoy the first hour of his vacation in bed with Draco. "Right. Sorry. We did get rather distracted, didn't we?" He smirked and winked at Harry.
Blushing, Harry refocused. "Can't help it, though, can we? I mean," he smiled, looking at the ring on his finger, "it's only been a month now. Still pretty new."
Draco laughed. "After dating for four years? Marriage is only an excuse."
"Maybe," conceded Harry. He pulled Draco close. "But maybe it's also because I can't stop myself from thinking that only I get to know you like that. That I'm all yours and you're all mine and no one can say otherwise."
Draco rolled his eyes, but gave Harry a kiss. "Sap."
"Your sap." Harry beamed.
"Enough," Draco said, but he was laughing. "We have to pack and get over to the manor."
Harry sighed and reluctantly let Draco go. As he packed, he asked, "So why the rush to go? Dinner with your parents?"
"Sort of," Draco replied. "Tomorrow is the solstice. My family, going back generations, have a ritual we do for the solstice." He closed his suitcase and sat on the bed, watching Harry. "If you don't mind, that is."
Harry frowned. "Mind? Why should I mind?"
"I thought maybe you would want to do something with the Weasleys," Draco explained quietly. "Ron was saying that his mum will do something special for the day."
Harry raised an eyebrow, bemused. "You were talking with Ron? Civilly?"
Draco glared. "We've been together for years, Mr. Potter-Malfoy--didn't you think that at some point I'd be able to have a polite conversation with your friends?"
Harry waved his hand and resumed his packing. "So go on then. You were having a polite conversation about the solstice?"
"Yeah. Most of the old families still celebrate the solstice in some way. Some think that is what happened at Stonehenge, but the facts continue to elude the archaeologists, Muggle and wizard alike."
"So why didn't you invite me before?" Harry asked, realising he hadn't heard about the solstice until now. From either Draco or Ron.
Draco shrugged. "You were always working before, except the first year we were dating and Mum assured me that it was a bit early to ask you to join us. And I thought you were going to do something with the Weasleys."
Harry Accio'd a few bathroom items and when they settled into his suitcase, he closed it. He smiled at Draco. "I've never participated in one before, but I'd love to celebrate with your family."
"You don't want to go the Burrow?" Draco asked.
Harry shrugged. "Maybe in the future, but this year, I want to be with my husband and he wants to go to Malfoy Manor for the solstice. My choice is made."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Sap."
~~~
There was a room set aside for rites on the ground floor of the manor, just off the kitchen. Set at the back of the house, it could have either been an addition or that the rest of the manor had grown up around it. Harry suspected the latter; it felt older than the rest of the building and was made of stone and dirt. There was a hearth on one side and a few rooms off the left of the main room. Harry had been in it only twice before. Once for the summer solstice -- and he supposed that today's ritual would be almost the opposite of that -- and then again for a ritual to welcome him to the family. Lucius had said the room had been the family's first home; from the magic in it and its layout, Harry could believe that it had been.
There were two windows, one on the east and one on the west. The ritual for the summer solstice had faced the west window. When Harry followed Lucius and Narcissa into the room, the table they'd used then was now set up so the ritual would face the east. A sundial in the middle of the room was lit up from the skylight above. Lucius checked it as Narcissa laid out the few items needed for the ritual.
"One minute," Lucius announced.
Draco took Harry's hand in his, but it felt clammy. Harry smiled at him. "Okay?"
Blowing out a breath, Draco nodded. "I'm just ... well, I'm always surprised if I'm going to be honest." He squeezed Harry's hand. "I just assumed that since you'd been raised by Muggles you wouldn't want to celebrate with my family, preferring to celebrate your own holidays. Or, if you did celebrate ours, you would do it reluctantly."
Narcissa put down the last item for ritual and stepped back. Lucius stepped up behind her, but let her lead. Harry and Draco stood next to Lucius. The window they faced had a line of stones on the ground in front of it, with a wide gap between two of them (Draco had explained earlier that a charm had been woven in the gap, one that would activate when the solstice happened). The air in the room seemed to leave in a second and the gap between the stones lit up, like dawn. The air rushed back in and Harry shared a smile with Draco. Narcissa led them through the ritual and at the end, all of them lit the log that had been laid earlier in the hearth.
"And our new year begins," Narcissa intoned, signalling the end of the ritual.
Lucius unfolded a table cloth and laid it over another table in the middle of the room. Harry helped him set out the food as Draco helped Narcissa ritually clean up the ritual space. "I overheard you and my son earlier," Lucius said, "about observing our holidays."
Harry smiled. "I don't think I'll ever fully celebrate it, but these are traditions, family traditions." He looked over at Draco and Narcissa, thinking about the future, a little bit. "My Muggle family didn't have many and what they did have, they didn't include me very often. I like being included and I like to think that maybe if Draco and I adopt, we'll be able to pass these on to them."
Lucius nodded. "Good. I know my family has made mistakes, but there were--are--good things we do and I want to see them passed on."
Harry took a deep breath. "I'll try my best, sir."
~~~
Harry sipped his coffee, trying to reconcile the image happening in the sitting room of the Burrow. Draco drowsed next to him, it being too early for him even though it was already nine in the morning, watching Harry's coffee as if contemplating whether to drink any. (Harry would send him to nap with the kids before letting Draco drink any coffee. He and Narcissa agreed that the holiday would be better without Draco hopped up on caffeine.)
Speaking of Narcissa, though, she was doing something fancy to Victoire's hair, using the new dragon clip she'd gotten from her Uncle Charlie. Lucius was engaged in a discussion with George over the import of some ingredient and the current bill waiting to be passed concerning it.
"This is ... am I allowed to think it's odd?" Harry asked.
Draco yawned. "What's odd? Me being up before ten because yes, it is."
Harry laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Not all of us are lucky enough to have a job with no set hours."
"You only wished you could work when you wanted to." Draco snuggled in closer. "Now, what were you saying is odd?"
Harry gestured to the room with his cup. "This. Our families sharing Christmas."
Draco hummed. "Odd, yes. But something I'd like to see happen again. It's good for them, I think. It was so lonely at the manor even though there are three of us. Here? It's so full and busy and warm, welcoming. I want this to be a new tradition."
Harry kissed his temple. "Let's hope so."
Narcissa finished Victoire's hair and was now being asked to do Rose's hair. Teddy was watching from the other side of the room, but it looked as though he was also going to ask. Arthur had joined Lucius and George in discussing import bans. This felt as good and important as the ritual at Malfoy Manor. Harry smiled.
"Can I have some of your coffee?" asked Draco after a moment's silence.
Chuckling, Harry agreed to get him some tea instead. Draco dramatically laid down on the sofa rather than sit up, looking woeful. Harry rolled his eyes and stepped over the new puppy and some wrapping paper as he walked toward the kitchen.
"It's just ... if Harry wanted to celebrate it, he could've asked us," Ron said.
Harry froze, standing in the doorway. Ron was leaning against the counter, looking outside. Molly was at the stove, checking the food. She clucked her tongue. "Did you ever think to invite him to celebrate it?"
Ron was silent. Harry cleared his throat, feeling awkward. "Is there more coffee? And is there any tea?"
Molly fussed, making more even though they'd run out, but she figured that someone else would probably want some. Ron refused to meet Harry's eye. "So what celebration were you talking about?"
"The solstice," Molly explained. She paused in putting together a tray of coffee and tea. "We didn't leave you out, Harry. Not once. I just thought that Ron had told you and you weren't interested."
Harry smiled. "I didn't even know about celebrating it until Draco mentioned it. He was the one who told me that most of the old families had their own rituals for celebrating it."
Molly slammed down the milk jug and put her hands on her hips. "Ron, how can you stand there asking me why Harry didn't ask when you never thought to tell him?"
"It's fine," said Harry. "Really. Draco didn't think I'd celebrate it because I was raised by Muggles. I still think he invited me to celebrate it because I'm family. I mean, I only found out about the summer ritual because we were engaged then."
Molly sighed. "Well, if you ever want to, you can always celebrate with us. Not that many of the kids join us, now. Hermione seems determined to do her own rituals with Ron and their kids in her own home which is perfectly fine, don't you start, Ron. But Harry, you and Draco are always welcome."
"Thank you."
Molly looked toward the sitting room. "But this is good, too. I like to think we could do this every year."
Ron groaned. "Every year. Really, Mum?"
Molly took a deep breath. "I've always thought of you as a son, Harry, so that means that Draco's family is our family, now. I'd love to have as many Christmases with as much of our family as will come."
"And we would appreciate it," Narcissa agreed, walking in behind Harry. "It's a bit much, but I miss the Christmases of my youth, with so many relatives visiting. It was never the same after the first war, just Lucius and myself, then Draco. So much space where there should have been people. This has been very nice. Thank you, Molly."
"As I said, you are always welcome," Molly answered. "Even when it isn't the holidays, my hearth will always be open for visiting."
"And to you as well," Narcissa replied. She took a deep breath. "Now, the children seem to be getting restless. I remember playing outside on Christmas. Shall we send them outside and add a little alcohol to the coffee and tea for some adult time?"
Molly beamed and she and Narcissa finished putting together the tray. Ron slunk over to Harry. "Sorry."
Harry shrugged. "It's fine. I've put up with a lot more, right?"
Ron winced. "Suppose. Mum's right, though. I should've asked."
"Done and over with."
Ron sniffed. "And I don't think it'll be too bad if we all celebrate it together."
Harry grinned. "They're not too bad once you get to know them. Come on. Lucius was talking to George about something to do with imports. Since it's also your business, you might want to get in on that discussion."
Ron wrinkled his nose, but left. Harry put his cup in the sink and followed him. He pushed Draco upright only for him to settle again on his shoulder. Molly and Narcissa quickly got the kids outside and then drinks were handed out.
"To traditions, new and old!" toasted Molly, holding up her cup.
"May they continue and beget new ones and new families," finished Narcissa.
As everyone echoed the sentiment, Harry breathed deep, content.