dark side • draco malfoy

20 | Christmas

"Merry Christmas!" Mrs. Weasley greeted us warmly as Remus, Tonks, and I entered The Burrow.

"Merry Christmas Molly, thank you for having us." Remus nodded and smiled at her.

"Merry Christmas Mrs. Weasley." I gave a small smile and wave to the red-headed woman.

"Oh Ivy, dear, I'm so sorry about your parents. We're all here for you, and if there's anything we can do please don't hesitate to ask. The kids are upstairs, dear." Mrs. Weasley pulled me into a loving embrace, before ushering me towards the stairs.

"Thank you. It means a lot." I smiled sadly at her. That seemed to be all I was doing lately, just thanking people for their condolences and smiling sadly.

I watched as Tonks followed her into the kitchen and Remus made his way over to Mr. Weasley, before I turned around and climbed the stairs to find my friends. I had always loved the Weasleys' home. The Burrow was the homiest, coziest place I could think of, and even during this dark time in my life, I couldn't help but feel more at ease inside those walls.

I finally found the door that said 'Ron' and I knocked twice before opening it.

"Merry Christmas." I smiled at my friends.

"Ivy, you're here! Merry Christmas." Ginny grinned, jumping up from her spot on the floor and pulling me into a tight hug. After she finally let go, I turned to everyone else.

"Merry Christmas, Ivy." Ron smiled, giving me a small hug.

"Merry Christmas!" Fred and George hopped off the bed and sandwiched me between them in a warm but suffocating embrace.

"Merry Christmas, Ivy." Harry finally smiled at me, before also pulling me into a hug and giving my shoulders an affectionate squeeze. Harry and I had always been close, and we had been friends since our first day at Hogwarts. I supposed now that I was also an orphan, he probably felt that he could connect with me even better.

"So what's up?" I asked, taking a seat on the floor next to Ginny.

"Nothing much, we've just been playing Quidditch nonstop for the last five days. And if we're just talking about food, I believe dinner will be ready in a few minutes." She answered, twirling her wand in her right hand. I felt a frown beginning to form on my face as I remembered the incredible Christmas dinner that my mom used to make, but I pushed the thought away almost immediately. I didn't want to ruin their Christmas with my bad mood and grieving heart, and I was sure that Mrs. Weasley's meal would be absolutely amazing.

"I can't wait."

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"Alright Ron, you go next." George instructed, and we all turned our attention to Ron as he opened a well-wrapped present with a green bow on top.

"Who's it from, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, leaning in to get a closer look at her youngest son.

"It's from Fred and George... Oh wicked! Thanks! I can't wait to use this on Gin-"

"Watch it, Ronald." Ginny growled jokingly, glaring at the new prank kit that the twins had given him for Christmas.

"Okay Ivy, you next." Mr. Weasley turned to me. I grabbed the small, wrapped box with my name on it.

"It's from my parents." I whispered, feeling a broken pang shoot through my heart. Taking a deep breath, I felt everyone's eyes on me as I opened the present from my mom and dad. I gasped as I opened the box to find a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings. My eyes began to water as I read the small note inside the box.

'Dear Ivy,
We love you more than anything else in the world and we hope that you love these earrings, your mother wore them on her wedding day. We can't wait to see you wearing them, they'll look beautiful on you.
Lots of love,
Mum and Dad'.

I felt a stray tear rolling down my cheek, and smiled to myself as I slipped the earrings on. Merlin, I missed them.

***********************************

An hour later, we had finished opening our presents and everyone had dispersed around the house. Mrs. Weasley and Tonks were cleaning up in the kitchen, Harry had disappeared into another room with Mr. Weasley and Remus, and Ron, Fred, and George were talking about the joke shop. That left just Ginny and I sitting on the couch as I tried to explain some muggle Christmas traditions to her.

"Come on, follow me." She suddenly stood up, grabbing my hand and pulling me upstairs.

"Gin, what are we doing?" I asked, wondering what my friend had in mind. Once we reached her room, she hurriedly closed the door and ran over to her bed to retrieve something from under it.

"This arrived about an hour before you got here. It's for you." She handed me a small, emerald coloured box with a white ribbon tied around it, and a tiny tag that displayed my name.

"Who is it from?" I looked up at her curiously.

"I was wondering the same thing." She shrugged, tucking her hair behind her left ear, "Open it.".

I nodded, and quickly unwrapped it to reveal a stunning necklace with a gold heart.

"Merlins beard, Ivy. Who sent that? It must be worth a fortune!" Ginny gasped, and I nodded, unable to form words. It was absolutely gorgeous, and I was in shock of both the beauty and the thought behind the gift. Suddenly, a neatly folded paper fell out of the box and I quickly unfolded it.

'Merry Christmas. x
-D.M'.

A huge smile began to spread across my face. It was from Draco.

"What? Who's it from?" Ginny asked impatiently.

"It's from him." I giggled, waving the paper in front of her shocked face.

"You mean that's from Draco Malfoy? He sent you that?"

"Shhh, if anyone hears you saying his name they'll hex you into next year! Harry and your brothers absolutely despise him." I shushed Ginny, and she made a zipping motion over her lips with her hand.

"Help me put it on?" I asked her with a giddy smile.

"Of course, come here." I felt her cool hands on the back of my neck as she fastened the clasp, and the smile returned to my face as I realized that the necklace fit perfectly on me.

"It's perfect, Ivy." Ginny squealed, and I couldn't have agreed more. The heart wasn't too big or small (it was quite dainty and delicate looking actually), and it hung perfectly below my collarbone.

I was in total awe that Draco had put so much thought into getting me a gift, and that he picked such a beautiful piece of jewelry. The thought made my heart soar with happiness, and I knew I wouldn't be taking it off for a long time.