Underneath the Mistletoe

ChapterThirtyEight

Draco's POV
FifthYear-DayOne

It was the first time in four years that Draco was spending Christmas with his parents.

When he'd first received the news from his Mother, two weeks before the commencement of Winter Break, he had been ecstatic. Apparently the witch his Father went to for PTSD help had deemed him mentally well enough for the stressful parties that would surely occur. The initial excitement had worn off within a week; now that he was actually in his room within the manor all he wanted was to go back to school, back to his daily lessons, back to distractions. Because now that Draco was back at the manor he couldn't help but feel let down.

He had ridden the Hogwarts Express across the country side to Kings Cross station. On the way, sitting with the boys from his dorm and Pansy, Draco had created this image in his head that he would get off the train to find both his parents waiting for him. He didn't begin fantasizing that they might hug him or even smile.

However, it seemed that even just having his parents pick him up from the station was too much to ask for. There had been no one waiting for him.

With as much dignity as he had been able to muster, Draco had marched over to Mr and Mrs Parkinson. He lied to them and said that his Father had been firecalled to an urgent and mandatory meeting. He therefore could not pick up Draco, would they be able to drop him off at the Manor? Pansy's parents had shared that look that married couples so often did before eagerly agreeing. Draco thought the reason they'd so easily said yes might have been because they were hoping he and their daughter would eventually end up married and didn't want to hurt those prospects.

While Mr and Mrs Parkinson didn't seem suspicious of Draco's reason for not having anyone there to pick him up Pansy seemed to be at least a little curious, he'd caught her giving him weird looks. Thankfully she hadn't called him out. Mrs Parkinson had extended her arm for him to take and a matter of seconds later the four of them apparated from the platform to the Manor. Upon arrival they wished him a happy holiday before departing and leaving him alone at the gates.

-x-

Draco was now standing in the doorway to his room with a feeling of itching wrongness. He couldn't place where it was coming from. Taking a deep breath Draco strode to his bed and placed his heavy trunk upon his duvet, flipping it open he began to unpack. Christmas at the Malfoy Manor consisted of dinner parties, old relatives, and having to pretend that he liked the stuffy gifts they gave him. The moment Draco had stepped through the massive manors double doors, he'd known that was exactly what he was going to get.

Draco wasn't sure why he felt so let down. These were the Christmas's he'd had his whole childhood prior to Hogwarts. However, perhaps that was just it. Prior to Hogwarts he hadn't known any other way. He did now.

Draco had spent Christmas's laughing in the snow, curled up cocooned in blankets and pillows around the fire, dancing late at night, and bantering with Harry Potter.

Harry Potter, a boy he'd spent his first four years at school with. The majority, save the Winter Holidays, they'd spent bickering and arguing. He thought back to the way they'd been in their first couple years compared to the last couple months. In their preteens they'd done all that was possible to make the other angry. How times had changed. They still teased and pestered one another, but the relationship between them had...shifted. They were closer than Draco cared to admit. Their conversations consisted of poking, prodding, and trying to get the other to react. Draco had discovered that it was rather easy to get Harry riled up. The game of angering the other boy had become almost effortless, he knew all the subjects that he was sensitive about. As of lately Draco had been trying to get Harry to react in other ways than anger. Such as that laugh that danced off his lips, that unusually genuine glowing smile, and even getting him to open up. Of course it was all just a game. A way to pass time with someone who wasn't dull and dimwitted like Crabbe and Goyle, or clingy like Pansy. Harry was a challenge, a puzzle, and Draco found that he had an intense craving to find the answers. To figure out how and why the other boy ticked.

Draco forced himself out of his thoughts and back to his unpacking. He'd found himself doing that more and more. Disappearing into his head, ever since he'd accepted Harry's hand, his truce, his friendship. He'd have to think more on it later. Right now he had to go find the other members of the Malfoy household, at dinner in the dinning room, for what he was already predicting to be a very tense evening.

-x-

The three of them sat in the most uncomfortable silence Draco had ever experienced. "How are your studies coming along Draco?" His Father asked cutting into his steak.

Draco took a sip of his water before responding. "Very well."

The older man nodded stiffly and placed a piece of the tender meat in his mouth. The silence thickened.  Finally his Mother cleared her throat, Draco noticed the small sound made his Father flinch. He made no comment but instead tucked the small morsel of information away into the back of his mind. "You remember Cora and Meave don't you Draco?"

That tone, Draco knew that tone and was nervous to hear the rest of what she had to say on the topic of the Felloraya's. "Of course I do Mother."

"They'll be arriving tomorrow morning to stay for a few days."

Draco froze. Rather uncharacteristically he opened and closed his mouth multiple times, attempting to find something suitable to say. However he found that he had no answer to what his Mother was telling him.

"What do you mean?" he asked staring wide eyed. He didn't like how strangled his voice sounded even to his own ears. "They're staying here?"

"Well yes-"

"You didn't think perhaps you could ask for my opinion?" He tried to contain his emotions, he really tried to hold it all in. Draco stared his Mother right in the eye and quietly said, "Maybe I don't want to see them." It was one thing for prideful relatives to visit, it was quite another thing for the Felloraya's.

"Now Draco, see reason-"

It was one small flustered flare that made him blurt, "No, stop, this is my Christmas break as well!"

Then out of absolutely nowhere his Father slammed his fist to the dining table. The glasses and silverware shook. He boomed, "DRACO THAT IS NO WAY TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTHER!" His Fathers face was filled with such rage. For a very brief moment Draco felt tears prick his eyes and a lump begin to work its way up his throat. Before he could start crying Draco felt himself shutting down. Distancing himself from the situation.

His Father seemed to be doing the same thing. He'd closed his eyes, seemed to struggle to control his temper for a moment, then reopened them. In a barely stable voice he barked, "go to your room. You can come out when you're ready to apologize."

Draco stared at his Father in disbelief. When his eyes remained unfaltering harsh and cold Draco pushed back his chair and marched from the room without another word.

-x-

When Draco got to his bedroom he found that he had a strong urge to kick something. Instead he clenched his hands into fists so tight that his nails broke the skin of his palms. He screwed up his eyes. Releasing a breath Draco relaxed his features. He managed to calmly close the door behind him, opposed to slamming it. There was one person he really wanted to talk to right now...however that person was far far away. Draco walked to his desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down. He grabbed for a quill and parchment, began furiously scrawling.

Harry,

-x-

Thanks to those of you still reading "Underneath the Mistletoe"! I love you guys so so much<3 (please read at least 1.)

1. Because of the end of year work load from school chapters may be slightly less frequent. (Which really sucks!)

2. So does anyone want to explain why I still have to do homework on top of culminating projects and exams??? Like waste of my time much? And like why do I have a culminating project for gym?! There's no logic to it!

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(And always let me know if you have advice)