Christmas and Family Legacies

Christmas was coming.

One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke up to find itself covered in several feet of snow.

The lake was frozen solid.

The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.

No one could wait for the holidays to start.

While the Slytherin common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the daffy corridors had become icy and bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms.

Worst of all were Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breaths rose in a mist before them.

Luckily Draco had managed to learn spells that would heat him and his clothes up, so he and the Slytherin students including Hermione were fine even in this cold weather.

Draco pitied the others, seeing them stand close to the burning cauldrons for a little bit of heat.

So he gave some Ravenclaw students the name of the spell and the spell book, so they can stay warm.

Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays.

Draco had been considering staying in Hogwarts for Christmas since he could explore it more openly with no one around.

But later dismissed that idea, he had many matters to deal with outside Dumbledore's watch.

"Draco, do you know who Nicolas Flamel is?" Harriet asked him out of nowhere. Draco raised an eyebrow and Harriet added. "It's a name I've been looking for. Since you were busy, I had Hermione help me with finding it."

'Well, she will find out about it sooner or later, so I don't think it's going to be a problem.' Draco thought before replying. "Nicolas Flamel is a French wizard and famed alchemist who is the maker of the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with incredible powers. I heard he stays in Paris and sometimes goes to the nearby Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Oh, and he is known to be a close friend of our Headmaster." He casually said. "Why do you need to know about that 600-years-old ghost?"

"600 years old?" Harriet was trying to digest the information.

"Yeah! The Philosopher's stone he created had a magical property and is the main ingredient in making the Elixir of Life. You remember when Professor Snape told us that potions could help put a stopper on death? As far as I know, the Elixir of Life is the only potion able to do so."

"Does it make someone immortal?" She asked.

"Not really. You have to keep drinking it day after day. If you forget to drink it one day, you're dead the next second. Besides, after some time, your body will start to grow old regardless. So even if you lived a 500-year-old long life, it will grow terribly weak." Draco said.

Harriet's eyes lit up. "Thanks Draco, you are the best!"

"You're welcome." Draco replied.

—————————————————————

It was finally the holidays.

Everyone packed up some necessary items and left for the train.

Most of Draco's friends we're going home, so they stood in the same compartment chatting.

After hours of sitting on the train, they finally reached the station.

Everyone had their family come pick them up.

In Draco's case, his parents were there waiting for him.

"Welcome back my son!" Narcissa said, rushing to hug him.

"Thanks mother." He replied, hugging her back. "It's good to be back."

"I see you've been busy for the past months." Lucius said with his usual grin. "We've received many compliments from your teachers. Your grades are flawless."

"Thanks father, but the truth is that my first year at Hogwarts wasn't as much of a challenge as I was imagining it would be." Draco replied casually.

"Oh, but I beg to differ." Lucius remarked. "I was glad to hear that Dumbledore's incompetence didn't cost my son's life. I've made the arrangements, your spoils will become a respectable trophy in our house."

Narcissa seems to finally recall what made her lose sleep for countless nights. "Are you alright my dear? How dare that miserable old man put my son in harm's way?!"

"Don't worry, mother." Draco reassured her. "It would take more than a lowly beast to ruin my day."

Despite Narcissa's worries, Lucius seemed content with his answer. "Very well Draco, speaking like a true Malfoy."

"Thanks." The boy said. "Oh, before I forget. My godmother has sent her regards. To both of you."

Both Malfoy adults nodded their heads in appreciation.

Since Draco carried everything he had in his suitcase, the trio decided to continue their conversation back at home.

Despite the popular opinion saying otherwise, Draco enjoyed the feeling of apparating.

Or at least the Side-along version of it.

It gave him for a second the sensation of being ethereal, unbound from his human limitations and supercharged by mana.

Apparition was a popular method of travel in the wizarding world, though it was stated that plenty of adult witches and wizards did not bother with it, preferring brooms, Floo Powder or portkeys.

It was a magical form of transportation, in which the user travelled instantly from one location to another, without traversing the space in-between.

This was accomplished by having the user focus on a desired location in their mind and then purposely disappearing from where they were, to reappear at the desired location.

It was by far the fastest way to get to a desired destination, but was tricky to pull off correctly and disastrous if botched.

It had a range-limit, and became increasingly difficult with the distance to be travelled.

It was advised that inter-continental Apparition should only be attempted by the most highly skilled of wizards, otherwise risking splinching, severe injury, and death.

Apparition also required a familiarity with the terrain of the place the wizard wanted to visit, as they needed to be able to visualise it clearly.

The ability to Apparate was a relatively advanced skill for wizards, but other magical creatures were capable of disappearing and reappearing of their own volition as well.

Such as House-elves.

Though, Draco had his personal elves train to get rid of the audible noise it produced.

Especially since elven magic was capable of ignoring the wards and jinxes that the Wizarding world used to prevent Apparition and Disapparition.

Draco wanted to learn it himself, but refrained from rushing the learning progress since the immediate benefits didn't outweigh the permanent risks.

Draco and his parents arrived outside the mansion.

Their house being, just like most relevant residences in the Wizarding world, enchanted against Apparition and Disapparition.

As the three Malfoys walked inside the manor, Draco looked around with nostalgia.

"It's strange how easily one becomes homesick." He pointed and his mother chuckled.

"It's only natural, my son. You've lived your whole life in this manor." She told him. "And now that you're here, how about after you go take a bath, you continue to tell us about how your stay in Hogwarts had been during dinner."

"Of course, mother." Draco replied respectfully before turning to his father. "With your permission."

Lucius nodded and the young Malfoy excused himself.

The remaining house elves of house Malfoy quickly prepared a bath for him, and Draco got inside relaxing.

After a long bath, he came downstairs and sat at the dinner table.

"So Draco, besides doing well in class and having to endure Hogwarts' dangers, how has your time there been?" Narcissa asked, still irritated about the troll incident.

"Like I mentioned before. It went better than I had anticipated." Draco replied. "I had my friends to keep me company."

"I'm pleased that you have expanded your circle of friendship." She remarked. "Beyond the boys from Crabbe and Goyle families, you have gotten very close to the boy and girl from the houses Nott and Parkinson."

"And from what I heard, you also befriended the girl from the Greengrass family." Lucius added.

"Your sources are correct, father." Draco replied.

"Good, good." His father said. "I'm a friend of her mother, you know. She has been sending letters thanking me for having you take care of her daughter."

"I see." Draco said, after taking a sip from his goblet. "It's truly a pity I have not met them yet."

"They live quite far away, my dear." Narcissa informed him. "Me and your father had only met her on a few formal occasions. Perhaps you might accompany us in the next opportunity."

Draco nodded and ate a piece of his steak.

"So who do you like more?" His mother suddenly asked.

Draco raised an eyebrow, resisting the urge to sigh. "What do you mean, mother?"

"I'm talking about who you like more, Pansy or the girl from the Greengrass family? I believe her name is Daphne." Narcissa said in a teasing voice.

"Hard for me to say." Draco shrugged his shoulders casually. "They are both good looking in my eyes, and their company is pleasant enough."

Narcissa sighed seeing she failed to get a reaction from her son.

"It's good if you decide early." Lucius said in a casual voice. "We can help you by establishing good relations between our families. Both Parkinson and Greengrass families are good allies to have. Especially in times like these."

Draco looked at his father who looked serious and said. "I will keep that in mind."

"I know it might feel too early for you to consider it." Lucius said. "Allying with other families will help strengthen us. Giving us a better stand in the Wizarding world."

Draco nodded.

"Personally, I'm learning more towards the Greengrass family. They are the oldest pure-blood family and have a great relationship with other purebloods families as well." Lucius informed him.

"Father, I'm aware that you might be under a lot of stress lately due to the ministry seizing some of our family's business." Draco said. "But you will have to trust in my personal judgment."

"Y-you're right. You've never given any reasons for me to doubt you." Lucius sighed. "With the dark lord gone, some people have been acting out now and again. It's very helpful that you managed to befriend Harriet Potter. It helps to paint us in a good light."

"Oh, how could we forget! Congratulations for joining the Quidditch team." Narcissa interrupted them. "I'm glad that our patronage has been well placed."

"Indeed." Lucius remarked. "The image of you helping the young Potter to control her broom has been seen by many already. Slytherin victory against Gryffindor could be interpreted as a direct consequence of your action, since it was Miss Potter that caught the golden snitch."

"Indeed it does." Draco realized.

"That reminds me, is it true that you've befriended a Weasley?" Narcissa asked. "I was a little relieved and at the same time shocked to hear that he's in Slytherin with you. But... to befriend him… that has to be an interesting tale."

"Well, I can't say that my first impression of him was positive." Draco revealed. "He had been bad mouthing our family and our house in Hogwarts since before the sorting ceremony."

"Typical of a Weasley. Their fire's lit, but the cauldron's empty." Lucius scoffed. "But I believe he has compensated for that in some manner for you to deliberately associate with him."

"It took some time, but the boy slowly accepted the reality that without being on good terms with me, he wasn't going to complete his first year in Hogwarts." Draco replied nonchalantly.

"Are you telling us that he's more dimwitted than the rest of his miserable family?" His father asked. "I fail yet to see why you would waste your time with suchindividual."

"My reason is, beyond him showing willingness to be subservient to me, is that his family is after all one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight." Draco reasoned. "I know they don't have a relevant stand amongst us, but I believe this Slytherin Weasley might signal an opportunity to raise them back to their proper place. Amongst his family, I've heard he has a brother in Gryffindor with great ambition that seeks to work in the ministry after graduating from Hogwarts."

By their expression of realization, both Lucius and Narcissa seemed to have finally understood their son's scheme.

"It would certainly boost our reputation amongst the rabble, by associating ourselves with Arthur's family while influencing some of his children to assume a more prestigious position in the Wizarding Community." Lucius realized, seeing his son in a second light.

"Well done, son." Narcissa complimented him. "Make sure this Weasley you've befriended becomes loyal to you."

"I know exactly what to do about the older one you've mentioned." Lucius added with a grin.

The two were finally seeing their son as an equal, completely forgetting that he was still an eleven year old boy.

"Now, I want to discuss with you the possibility of me inheriting the Black family." Draco finally told them one of his most important schemes.

Though he could see by their expression that they were startled by the idea at first, their eyes lit up soon after.

"Mother, what do you know about the Black family's current situation?" Draco asked.

"After my aunt, Walburga Black passed away, the 12 Grimmauld Place along with all the Black family's wealth was inherited by my cousin Sirius, who is rotting away in Azkaban." Narcissa explained. "As for other people, my sister Bellatrix could have inherited the place after Sirius… but she is in Azkaban as well."

"Wasn't Sirius disowned from the Black family?" Lucius asked.

"My aunt wished so, but since she wasn't the lord, she didn't have the necessary authority to officially do so." Narcissa said with a snort.

"So we need to convince your cousin?" Draco asked, considering trading Peter Pettigrew for the right to inherit the Black name.

"Not necessarily." Lucius remarked. "If we can convince Lady Walburga, alongside with some support from the ministry of magic, there won't be the need to have his consent."

"Aunt Walburga?" Draco asked, already guessing where his father was leading to. "Isn't she dead?"

"Her portrait is still there." Narcissa informed her son with a smile.

"With no one inhering the Black's family name, it's a good thing for us to have me replace your cousin." Draco told his mother. "Especially since he's known to have betrayed the Potters and led you-know-who to their doorstep."

"Clever boy." Lucius chuckled. "We will take you to the Black family's house."

Draco nodded, satisfied with how his parents responded to his suggestion. With a little bit of bribery and his family connections, the matter would be solved.

—————————————————————

When Christmas finally arrived, Draco woke up early and spent time with his parents.

This time, speaking about matters beyond schemes and politics.

In the Malfoy manor's living room, he was presented with countless gifts from his parents and new friends he made in the past months.

Even Dudley would be envious of the piles of gifts the young Malfoy received.

Unknown to his parents, Draco had sent some of the family members that they had lost touch with some gifts in hopes that they could rekindle their relationship.

Or at least mitigate their animosity.

Being the first friends he had made, Draco always sent something to Gregory and Vincent that they would appreciate. Since they weren't the same simple minded kids from the books and movies, they enjoyed his personally-annotated copies of the classes he had in Hogwarts. And even some useful magical artifact they could make good use of.

As for Theodore, he and Draco had a tradition of presenting one another with the copies of the best books and recipes of potions they had read recently.

For both Pansy and Daphne, since it was the first year he had spent with them, Draco decided on presenting them with some clothes and sweets. Added to it he had written them letters wishing them a wonderful Christmas.

To Harriet he sent a special Golden Snitch, one that was enchanted to follow its owner around, easy to catch and release. He took inspiration from Dumbledore's little stunt during their match. Draco only wished to see the old man's expression when he noticed the coincidence.

For Hermione he had sent a beautiful looking eagle-feather quill and some school robes with protection enchantments.

Last, but certainly not least, Draco sent a gift to Ron. Brand new elegant set of Wizard's chess for him and his brother Percy. Sadly he couldn't send a gift for his sister yet without appearing suspicious.

—————————————————————

12 Grimmauld Place was the ancestral home of the Black family, located in the Borough of Islington, London, in a Muggle neighbourhood, and the location was protected by a Fidelius Charm.

The Fidelius Charm was an extremely difficult, multifaceted and potent charm that could be used to conceal a secret inside an individual's soul; the witch or wizard who housed the secret was known as the Secret Keeper.

A dwelling whose location had been protected by this spell was then invisible, intangible, unplottable and soundproof.

This was an extremely old spell, one of the most ancient of all.

As the house was invisible to the neighbourhood residents, the local Muggles have long since accepted the mistake in numbering which landed number 13 next to number 11.

The Malfoy family Apparated to the neighborhood.

"It's really far away from our house." Draco pointed as he looked around the place. "So, where is it?"

"The place is hidden, and from what I can remember, it was under a Fidelius Charm. After my aunt's death, it's known to all the people who previously knew about it." Narcissa explained.

"Isn't that disadvantageous?" Draco asked.

He knew that later when the Order of the Phoenix moved in, Dumbledore assumed the position as the secret keeper.

But that still didn't explain how other people like his mother and aunt forgot about the place even before the charm was placed, considering they had lived there during their childhood.

"I believe the charm is inactive right now." Narcissa said. "Before dying, my uncle put every security measure known to Wizardkind on this place when he lived here. So even right now only a few people know about this chance. This is why getting Aunt Walburga's permission is important, since after she accepts you, you will become the next secret keeper after Sirius, making the place completely hidden again."

"So that means that Sirius can still know about this place even after I become the secret keeper?" Draco questioned, a little disappointed. "Guess I still require his consent to inherit this property."

"I'm afraid so." Lucius remarked. "But since he is in Azkaban, we shouldn't worry that he might decide to come for a visit."

"Perhaps." Draco said.

As Narcissa took their hands and walked towards the middle of two houses.

Suddenly, the neighboring houses, number eleven and number thirteen, were shoved out of the way as a worn set of front steps appeared between them.

The trio climbed up the stairs which led to a battered front door.

On the door, was a silver knocker in the shape of a twisted serpent, with no keyholes, handles or anything else that would indicate that it to be a door.

Narcissa took out her wand and waved it around causing the door to fling open.

As soon as the door opened, a loud, clanging bell rang through the house.

The front door opened to a long hallway, lit with gas lamps and a large overhead chandelier.

The place at one time might have been a grand entryway, complete with ornate portraits on the walls.

But right now it was gloomy and cobwebby, with the wallpaper peeling off and the carpet worn thin.

Among the midst of painting was a life-sized painting of an woman in a black cap.

"WHO IS IT?" The portrait screamed.

—————————————————————

(10/06/2021)

*Hey there! Thanks for reading my work! I hope this chapter is of your liking. I tried to bring back the MC's parents and show a little bit of their ideologies and have them scheme alongside their son. As for the 12 Grimmauld Place, I'm aware that it might be a cliche for the HP fanfics, but it's something that I believe the MC would be foolish not to pursuit.

Sorry if you expected more of it. 😅

Any ideas for powers, adventure arcs and girls are more than welcomed. I might not use anything, but you will have my gratitude for trying.

If this chapter is a mess of grammatical errors, please wait that I'll promptly try to fix it. But for that I need your feedback.

Thanks as always for your time, hope you have a fantastic day and please stay safe.

Bye.