Draco opened the door to the blue room and looked around in surprise. It was beautiful. Mother hadn't decorated any of the rooms for the holidays, except this one apparently. It was draped with fairy lights and garlands, A tree in the corner had been decorated in silver and blue and Mother was wearing a dress to match, with silvery white snow drifting down the pale blue fabric.

"Happy Christmas, Draco," Mother said, rising to her feet and holding out her hands.

Draco crossed the room and hugged her, "I didn't know you had prepared anything."

"It was a surprise," Mother said, sitting back on the settee and pulling Draco down next to her, "You didn't really think I'd miss christmas did you? You always love christmas."

"Yes," Draco said, knowing they were both ignoring the lingering cloud of the war hanging over them. Still, it had to be better than last christmas when he stayed at school, and his parents sent him books about defensive magic and duelling and an emergency portkey of his very own.

He helped himself to the light breakfast laid out on one of the tables and listened to Mother as she talked about her plans for continuing the renovation of the house. About an hour later, Pansy finally shuffled into the room, Tulip and Kipper on either elbow urging her forward.

Pansy slumped into a chair. Her hair was a mess, and it looked like she had been crying.

Mother stood and filled a plate with sweet pastries and fruit and placed it on Pansy's knees, "Here you are dear."

"I'm fine," Pansy said quietly.

"Of course you are," Mother said, somehow managing to not be condescending in the slightest.

"It's not that I didn't want to come," Pansy said, blinking furiously to keep from crying.

Mother smoothed her fingers through Pansy's hair, "There are times when people shouldn't be alone. The holidays are one of them. We are glad to have you here."

Pansy took a deep breath and let it out slowly, taking the plate in both hands as Mother stepped back.

His parents had always been big on opening gifts all together on christmas morning. It was a relief to be in this modest room with his mother and best friend. Not perfect of course. He missed the father he remembered from when he was young. He wondered what it would have been like to have christmas with Potter. But still, he wouldn't have traded it for anything.

"Mistress, can I give out presents now?" Tulip asked, standing on the tips of her toes in excitement, her arms already full of festively wrapped parcels.

"You don't have to, Tulip," Mother said.

"I want to!" Tulip said, running to Draco and dropping three presents on his toes.

Mother sighed, smiling faintly, "You're a dear, but I also want pictures. Would you rather hand out gifts or take pictures?"

Tulip froze, utterly torn between the two options.

"Tulip?" Mother prompted.

Tulips hazarded, "...Both?"

Mother frowned faintly but nodded anyway.

Draco picked up one of the many book shaped presents at his feet and tore the paper free to find a Potion book about rare ingredient interactions. He managed to resist the urge to open it and start reading and picked up the next present. There were books about studying for the NEWTs, books about brewing healing potions, books about rare spell and potion interactions and an encyclopedia set of magical plants and their brewing properties.

"Do you like them?" Mother asked, "I had to order by owl so I couldn't be certain of their quality."

"I adore them," Draco said, giving in and flipping through one of the rarer potion books.

Pansy snorted and rolled her eyes.

Draco summoned his present for Pansy from Tulip's hands and threw it at her.

"Hey!" Pansy sputtered, just barely managing to keep the package from falling into her breakfast.

"Shut it and open your present," Draco said with a sniff, pretending to go back to his book as he watched her reaction from the corner of his eye.

Pansy put her plate on the side table and opened the large gift box, pushing her way past the tissue paper to the pale pink dress, accented in white gossamer and lace-like embroidery and matching white kitten heel shoes. "It's lovely..." she said hesitantly, "but I don't wear pink."

"What's your favourite colour?" Draco asked with a pointed look.

"Pink," Pansy conceded.

"And your favourite kind of dress to wear- pretty and delicate?" Draco said.

Pansy frowned at him, "Yes fine, but I don't wear those either."

"You used to," Draco said, "before your mother insisted it was childish."

Pansy's frown deepened as she looked at the dress.

Draco didn't have a physical gift for his mother; he had arranged for her to have a robe or gown made for her by Kate, the young woman who had done his robe. It wouldn't actually happen until mid-January, but Draco hoped it would give her something to look forward to once he had returned to school.

Tulip offered Pansy another present in simple silver wrapping paper.

Pansy opened it and laughed in disbelief.
"What is it?" Draco asked leaning closer.

Pansy held up a book, "A history of the wars, from my mother," She flipped the book open to the back, "Look she even helpfully bookmarked the part where I tried to give up Potter to the Dark Lord." She glared at the book and added sarcastically, "Nice of them to add that in."

Mother walked over, tugging the book out of Pansy's hands and setting it aside, "Enough of that." She put a pair of large slim boxes on Pansy's lap, "These are from me."

"For me?" Pansy looked from Mother to Draco and then back at the boxes. She carefully pulled the spellotape free from the immaculately wrapped package and gasped, "Is this-?"

"It's the winter cosmetics collection from Divin," Mother said.

Pansy grabbed the other package and quickly tore it open.

"That's the spring collection. I put in an order for summer and fall as well, once they're available." Mother said, "I wasn't sure what to get you, limited by my position as I am, but then I remembered from Draco's letters that you are quite passionate about this sort of thing."

Pansy opened the box, running her fingers over eyeshadows, lipsticks, and nail polish all neatly laid out in silver and black, stamped with Divin in looping cursive.

"I hope it's to your liking," Mother said.

Pansy quickly wiped her eyes, "I love it. Thank you very much."

Mother looked very pleased. "I've never worn much makeup myself, I usually just throw on a light glamour. Perhaps you could teach me how to use it?"

Pansy nodded without hesitation. She waved at Tulip who brought over a small box and held it out to Mother.

"I- Draco helped me pick it out," Pansy said.

Mother took the small box with a smile, "You shouldn't have." She opened the gift box and took out the jewellery box, carefully easing the lid open.

"It's citrine," Pansy said quickly, "and muggle. We got it at the muggle shopping centre. I hope you don't mind."

Mother lifted the simple teardrop gem on a thin golden chain, "It's lovely. I didn't know muggles could make something so fine." She murmured a charm under her breath, and the chain clasped around her neck. Mother touched the gem and leaned down to sweep Pansy into a hug, "Thank you, Pansy dear."

Tulip pressed a present into Draco's hands, another book. Draco reluctantly set aside the potion book he was reading, tearing open the wrapping paper and froze. The title was, unfortunately, familiar, from the first three volumes he already owned: The Young Wizard's Guide to Growing Up. Vol 4. (NEW!) For the Queer Magic User -All your Questions, Quandaries and Quomodo's answered!!!-

Draco groaned in dismay.

Mother walked over to his chair, "It occurred to me after our discussion a few days ago that the ones your father and I got you when you were thirteen wouldn't be terribly helpful for your situation."

Draco fought down another groan and tried to his best to force a smile that ended up feeling like a grimace, "Very thoughtful," he mumbled.

Pansy had waved Tulip over and was frantically gesturing for her to take a photo.

Draco was about to shoot a glare at them when his mother continued.

"After all, it's important that you stay safe," Mother said primly, "You are being safe aren't you?"

The sound that came out of Draco was something like a half-choked death rattle as he slumped down into his chair, his face turning bright red. He held the book up like a shield because if he had to see any more words come out of his mother's mouth about his potential sex life, he would have to die.

"Draco? This is important," Mother said.

Pansy's whole body was shaking with silent laughter.

"Draco- Merlin help me- I'm not asking for details," Mother said, "I just need to know-"

"safe, yes" Draco managed weakly, "of course"

"Good," Mother said.

Pansy gasped, her face as red as his from laughing hard enough to burst a blood vessel, "They've only kissed!"

Mother turned to Pansy, "Really?"

Pansy nodded frantically as she tried to catch her breath.

"I suppose I thought two young men would be more..."

Draco pressed the book to his face, slumping so far down he was nearly off the chair.

"...handsy," Mother finished. "Well, they were when I was at school."

Pansy snorted, "Those two have no idea what they're doing."

"Ah, yes," Mother said, "with everything that... happened. I supposed that isn't surprising." She turned back to Draco and frowned, "Sit up properly. You're going to hurt your back fooling around like that."

Draco sulkily pushed himself back up into the chair to the sound of Pansy's laughter.

Mother swished her wand and vanished all the wrapping paper, "That's everything?"

Tulip shuffled forward and hesitantly passed out three more gifts, wrapped in a bright paper covered with balloons and obviously meant for a birthday. "For you. From Tulip," Tulip said.

Draco took the one with his name written on it and struggled to get it open, there was far too much paper and spellotape. Inside was a picture frame, the frame was painted white and decorated with a random cacophony of fake gems and pretty buttons, the picture was the one Tulip had taken when he and Pansy had first come home. It started just like a formal portrait, with them standing stiffly and staring at the camera, but by the end of the loop they were all looking at each other and smiling. It looked so normal. So wonderfully normal.

"This is- Thank you," Draco said with the sort of earnest sincerity that still felt a bit strange to him.

"It's wonderful," Mother said.

Pansy nodded in agreement.

Tulip beamed with delight, both hands curled up in her flower-patterned pillowcase.

"There is something- I was going to wait until boxing day but-" Mother set the picture on the table and hurried toward the door, "I'll be right back."

Pansy was studying the photo with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Where's my present then?" Draco teased.

Pansy rolled her eyes, "As if I'm going to buy you a present with money I have to borrow from you while you're standing right there."

"You bought my mother a present with my money," Draco said.

"That's different," Pansy said.

Draco said, "I wouldn't have minded."

"I would have," Pansy said stubbornly. She sniffed and said, "I'll give you a makeover for christmas."

"I quite like how I look without you messing with it," Draco said.

"Of course you do," Pansy rolled her eyes. She said thoughtfully, "Then...I'll give you a manicure instead."

Draco laughed, "You don't even know what that is!"

"I will soon enough, and then I'll give you one," Pansy said.

They both looked towards the door as his mother returned, box in hand. She sat on the couch, "Tulip, here," she held it out.

Tulip took the present with shaking hands. It was wrapped in shiny blue paper, and Tulip eased the spellotape off and unfolded the wrapping as if it was just as precious as the box inside it was. The paper was soon forgotten and drifted to the ground as Tulip stared at the box and then hurriedly opened it, taking out a camera small enough to have been made for her.

"It's the latest model from Japan. It's far better than your old one but smaller so you can manage it better, with added lightening and stabilising charms." Mother said, "I bought the photo paper and film as well. I know they're very expensive."

Tulip very, very carefully set the camera on the table where it wouldn't fall, before wrapping herself around Mother's legs to cry great wet heaving sobs of blubbering happiness.

Mother awkwardly patted Tulips back, "I'm glad you like it."

Pansy was trying not to laugh. Draco sighed.

Kipper shuffled into the room, a lumpy sort of- something in his arms. It was wrapped in red paper patterned with a jolly fat man Draco had seen quite a lot of at the muggle shopping centre.

"A package just arrived for you, Young Master," Kipper said holding out the lump.

Draco recognised the untidy scrawl on the side of the package as Potter's.

"Wait- Wait," Pansy stumbled through the gifts littered all around them.

"What?" Draco demanded grumpily, wanting to open his present.

Pansy leaned over the back of his chair, "I want to enjoy this."

Draco frowned at her.

"Oh come on!" Pansy said, "He obviously just sent that in a panic when he got your gift, with reused paper and- who knows what inside! It could be socks! It's going to be amazing."

Draco said, "If it was done in a panic it would have come earlier, I'm sure the Weasley's are too impatient to wait to open their gifts."

Pansy said, "You mean they don't sleep until noon until they're dragged out of bed by their house elf."

Draco frowned harder at her. "I appreciate the fact that he wanted to reciprocate at all."

"It's the thought that counts?" Pansy said with amused disbelief.

"I am going to transfigure you into a frog," Draco said flatly.

Pansy laughed.

"A toad," Draco muttered, tearing the paper open. Inside was a soft red sweatshirt, starting to fade and a little worn on the cuffs.

"What is-?" Pansy asked, "is that- Haven't I seen Potter wearing that?"

"He sent you second-hand clothing?" Mother asked looking confused and disappointed.

"It's his favourite," Draco said defensively, holding the shirt up and then carefully folding it. He could smell Potter, and it took all his willpower not to bury his face in the fabric.

Pansy sighed and went back to her chair, slumping into it with a groan, "It's no fun if you actually like it and of course you'd like it because you're ridiculous."

"It's a bit..." Mother trailed off.

"Ugly," Pansy finished, "You can't even wear it."

"Of course not," Draco agreed. But it would be a nice shirt to sleep in. And he was certain he had seen a charm in the library used to preserve a smell. It's not like anyone had to know. Draco ducked his head, smiling as he squeezed the shirt tight to his chest.