Beauty and the Beast [Draco Malfoy]

Chapter Nineteen

Draco's POV:

"Happy Christmas, Draco darling," my mum smiled at me lovingly. She held her arms out to me and I walked into them. Mother was the only one who showed me compassion in my family and that is what made me so soft when it came to her. My father was more of a strong and strict figure who demanded discipline at all times.

"Happy Christmas," I breathed in return. Her Malfoy colored hair smelled of rose and vanilla. Today, half of it was drawn up into a knot on top of her head. Father stood over her shoulder with a straight and almost bored face. He didn't like Christmas. It was too cold and cheerful for his taste, but he used to love the holiday when I was little. I don't know what caused his change.

It was traditional to eat breakfast together on Christmas morning before opening any gifts in my household. So that is what we did. Mother, father, and I gathered around the large wooden table in our dining room that was set with three plates. I couldn't help my mind from thinking about how empty our dining room seemed compared to the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

Each of our plates was filled with our regular holiday breakfast of strawberry crepes and a side of melon. Over the years this had come to be one of my favorite meals. I picked up my utensils and slowly began to eat.

"So Draco, how is school going so far for you?" mother asked as she cut into her breakfast. This was a question I was asked every time I returned home, and the answer was almost always the same.

"It's going wonderful," I responded. "Severus is making potions very enjoyable this year. It's still one of my favorite classes." That was something I learned from a young age. At school he was Professor Snape, at home he was Severus, and I was always to mention potions class when asked about school.

Mum's hair fell in a solid sheet past her shoulders and framed her face to make her look even more elegant and powerful than she already was. Her high and sharp cheekbones added to this image extraordinarily.

"That's good to hear," mum smiled.

The rest of our meal was eaten with small talk of work and such. Father spoke lowly of the Weasley's when they came up in his usual monologue about work. I knew Lizzie was friends with Ron Weasley, so I chose not speak, instead shoving a rather large bite of melon into my mouth.

Once we had all finished our food and the house elves had cleared it away, we met in our back sitting room where our larger-than-life Christmas tree stood. A small pile of colorfully wrapped gifts rested by its base.

I sat in one of the small, cushioned chairs that perched near the dark mantle. Mother and father chose to sit on the sofa opposite of me. A house elf followed us into the room and began to shuffle through the gifts. It placed all of my gifts by my feet and my mother and father's gifts by theirs. When it finished, it bowed and backed out of the room slowly.

"You first, Draco," my mother nodded at me. I leaned down and picked up a medium sized box wrapped in silver and red. When unwrapped, it revealed a box full of my favorite sweets.

"Thank you, mum," I smiled.

After four of the five gifts at my feet had been opened, I had a growing pile of sweets. Seemed as if everyone had gotten me some form of sugar.

The last box was a very small one that could fit easily in the palm of my hand. It was wrapped in a dark emerald green paper that shimmered in the light. A piece of nicely folded parchment was attached at the top.

D,

Happy Christmas. Write me soon.

Liz

I smiled at the thought of Lizzie. We had only been apart for about a week and I already missed her a lot. Spending all that time together with her due to her weakness had brought us closer than ever.

Carefully, I unwrapped the box, trying not to tear the paper. Somehow it would have felt wrong. Inside was a handsome pocket watch. It was made of a black, matte sort of metal that made the gift seem that much more elegant. On the front, a small, ornate snake was carved. I ran my thumb over the cover and the snake. The metal was smooth and cool to the touch. Knowing that Liz had touched it made me love it so much more.

"Who's that from?" my father asked with an upturned nose. He wasn't one for sentiment. In fact, I almost always got the same gift from him every year for Christmas and my birthday, a small package of sherbert lemons. I wouldn't mind it, had it not been for the fact of my particular distaste of the sweet.

"Lizzie," I replied, not taking my eyes off of the gift.

"Oh it really is beautiful," my mother sang when I held it up by the chain for my parents to see. The watch twirled precariously and glinted with the lights of the Christmas tree. "I can't wait to meet this girl." An image of my mum and Liz sitting together sipping tea and laughing filled my mind and made my stomach flutter.

"You'll love her, mum," I smiled. It was only a matter of days before Liz would arrive. The thought of her spending time at my home brought me a sense of excitement and yet nervousness. For the first time, I found myself worrying whether she would like the building.

"What's she like?" mum asked with a look of interest written on her face. I glanced back down at the watch in my hand with the image of Lizzie's laughing face imprinted in my mind. Her eyes squinted shut, mouth wide with a smile of joy, head thrown back.

"She's wonderful," I began. "She's so sweet and kind to everyone, and she's strong when she needs to be." I thought of the times Lizzie jinxed people who spoke lowly of her blood status.

"And she's Slytherin, correct?" my father questioned, a hand resting firmly on the silver head of his walking stick.

"She is," I replied.

"And pureblood?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. I sharply drew in a breath of air at this question. I knew it was bound to come at some point, I had just been hoping to avoid it at all costs.

"Actually she's a muggle born," I stated boldly, my eyes not meeting his.

"A muggle born?" he hissed. "You mean to say that I am going to have a mudblood in my house?" His grip on his walking stick seemed to have tightened substantially along with the tension in the air.

"Lucius," my mother cautioned carefully.

"Don't use that word about Lizzie," I growled.

"A mudblood in Malfoy Manor! Unthinkable!"

"Lucius, stop that," my mother spoke, placing a hand on father's shoulder.

"He invited a mudblood to stay in our house, Narcissa," my father sneered, staring angrily at my mum. I resisted the urge to snap back at him.

"I am well aware, but she will be our guest and we will welcome her."

"She is not deserving of a welcome anywhere, let alone our home."

"We will welcome her," my mother stated firmly. Father held a lot of power within our family, but everyone knew all choices were made by mother. My father fell silent after mum spoke. Turning her head to me, my mum said, "Lizzie will be welcomed here when she arrives. I'll see to it."