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26 December
Draco hid his anxiety behind a fake smile as he and Hermione bade goodbye to everyone at the Weasley's. He had Scorpius over one shoulder and Hermione had Helena. Both children completely tuckered out after a day of running around the Burrow with the other kids all day. They walked out past the apparition wards, Hermione sighing in contentment.
"I'm getting one next year," Draco grumbled.
"Getting what?" Hermione asked absentmindedly as she rubbed Helena's back.
"A Weasley jumper," Draco muttered. "We've been married for nearly a decade. Every other in-law gets one except me. Even Theo gets one," he pouted.
"Well, I'm not technically a Weasley," Hermione said. "Maybe that's why. Though if it makes you this upset, I can say something to Molly. I'm sure she's just overlooked it."
"She has not," Draco said stiffly. "She gives me other things, but never my own jumper. Next year, I'm going to earn one."
"Draco, you shouldn’t need to earn one," Hermione said. She reached out for his arm and patted it. "Honestly, if you want one, I'll just speak to Molly about it—"
"No!" Draco said, a frown marring his face. "No. Let me try and earn one. Molly still doesn't treat me like part of the family, but maybe if I show her that I'm not as bad as I was when I was a kid, I can earn one."
“But you aren’t who you were then,” Hermione said, putting her arms around him.
Draco sighed and rested his chin on the top of her head. “Sometimes even I’m not so sure about that. But please don’t go to Molly for me,” he repeated.
Hermione nodded, and Draco relaxed a little. He didn't want Hermione to say anything to Molly because he needed to prove that he wasn't the little shite he was when he was a kid. Now, he just had to decide how exactly he was going to show Molly the person he really was? What would be most meaningful to her?
He pondered that thought until the beginning of January when he was attending the annual NottPott New Years Eve party. The way Molly fawned over her children, including Potter, gave him an idea. Perhaps, the way to Molly's heart and his own Weasley jumper was through the Weasley children.
January
"No, no," Draco muttered, pulling the notebook away from George. "No, you need to add the numeral over here, and then figure in the moon's phases on this side." He scribbled on the page for a moment and then pushed the notebook back toward George. They were in the back room of Weasleys Wizard Wheezes. George had come to their house to ask Hermione for some help with the Arithmancy on a new project, and Draco had volunteered instead.
Hermione was newly pregnant and feeling like shite anyway. Draco had made a quick Floo call to his mum, and soon the children were out of the house, giving Hermione a chance to rest and Draco time to help George with his project.
The redhead looked over Draco's changes and nodded. "And if we do that, then when we plug this in..." he spoke almost to himself as he added the numbers into the equation Draco had created. "Perfection," George said with a grin. He looked up at Draco. "I had no idea the reason Hermione was interested in you was because of your brain, Malfoy."
"Oh?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrow. "Why did you think she was interested?"
George coughed and turned red, rubbing his hand over his mouth. "Sort of figured you had that magic dick."
Draco guffawed, throwing his head back as George grinned at him. "Perhaps that was also part of it," Draco replied.
"While you're here," George said, after they had their laughter under control. He led Draco over to a series of cauldrons. "I could use some help with this one too." Then he launched into a long, detailed explanation of what he was trying to do. Draco followed along, interjecting questions as they came to him.
This was how Molly Weasley caught them when she brought George lunch. Her children may all be grown, but Molly was nothing if not overbearing.
"George! Oh, Draco, hello," she said, her tone dampening once she saw Draco was there.
"Hi, Mrs Weasley," Draco said, giving her a bright grin.
"I'm afraid I didn't know you were here, I didn't bring enough..." she trailed off, looking genuinely upset for a moment.
"It's no worries," Draco replied. "I have to be off in a bit and I'm bringing Hermione lunch back."
"Right, I'll just leave this here," she said with a frown, placing a stasis charm over the plate. She gave Draco and George one last look before leaving the shop.
"Sure you can't stay?" George asked as he washed his hands and pulled the plate closer.
"Not this time," Draco said. "But if you still need help, send me an owl. I'm happy to consult."
"Will do," George replied, digging into his lunch.
Draco chalked that up to a success with Molly. She seemed genuinely put out that she didn't have enough food for Draco to share, though a little suspicious that Draco was there to begin with. His plan had begun.
February
"You'll be brilliant at it," Ron said. "Just be encouraging and you know, don't glower at them."
"I don't glower," Draco snapped.
Ron lifted an eyebrow. "Mate, you're doing it right now."
Draco took a deep breath and pasted a polite smile on his face. "Better?"
Ron shook his hand in a so-so gesture. "You look a bit constipated, but at least you don't look like a Death Eater."
"Low blow, Weasley," Draco spat.
Ron just grinned and then turned to the first set of parents with their child in tow. "Welcome! This will be our first practice, and games will be every Saturday for ten weeks. This is my assistant coach, Draco. He played as a Seeker."
"Ooo," the little girl said as she stared up at him. "I want to be a Seeker."
"How's your eyesight?" Draco asked, squatting down to get on her level. "Are you good at finding small things?"
"The best," she said, very seriously.
"Then you'll make a fine Seeker," Draco told her. "What's your name?"
"Lucy," she stuck out her hand and Draco shook it, and then she was off as the next family arrived.
The Little League Quidditch team had been Harry's brainchild, but Harry was too busy being Head Auror to head it up anymore. Ron and Draco got roped into it after months of Harry cajoling them during Sunday lunch. Harry’s political savvy had increased with every promotion, and Draco found him to be annoyingly convincing. Plus, the Quidditch league might help Draco earn himself a Weasley jumper.
Helping the kids with their Quidditch skills was actually a lot more fun than Draco had anticipated, and Ron wasn’t nearly as hopeless as Draco had initially thought he would be. In fact, Draco was learning quite a lot from Ron’s open and friendly coaching style.. After a few weeks, he got into the swing of things and almost couldn't wait until Scorpius and Helena were old enough to join the league in a few years. Ron wasn't a terrible coaching partner, and the kids were phenomenal. Not just at Quidditch, but in general, and Draco really found himself looking forward to each practice and game.
Draco could have almost forgotten about his jumper scheme, except that Molly came to watch every game. Regardless, he decided that he was absolutely going to keep volunteering in future years.
March
"Here?" Draco asked, shifting the heavy mannequin to the right.
"Oui," Fleur said absentmindedly as she folded jumpers on a table in the middle of the store. Draco was helping her get her new store ready, as Bill had been called away on a last minute assignment at Gringotts.
"Do you miss it?" Draco asked as he wrestled with the mannequin's arm. It had fallen out of the socket and he was having trouble getting it back in. The mannequin’s jumper stretched alarmingly as Draco fumbled with the pieces.
"Miss what?" Fleur asked as she hurried across the room to help him. A flick of her wand and the mannequin's arm was in place and the jumper fixed.
"Working at Gringotts? Being a curse-breaker?" Draco asked. It had to have been a strange transition for her to go from such a high-profiled career to selling clothes.
"Some days," Fleur said, looking a little sad. "But mostly, I'm glad to be able to be home with the children every evening. The adventure," here she smiled and got a far away look in her eyes, "was always worth it. That I envy Bill for."
"I'm sure," Draco said kindly.
The bell over the shop door tinkled and Molly Weasley entered the shop as she entered everything in life, in a whirlwind.
"Fleur, there you are! I've brought help!" she said, gesturing behind her. Ron and George followed their mother in.
"I've already got help, Molly," Fleur said, her face tightening in a look that Draco recognized. Fleur and Molly had held an uneasy truce for more years than he knew. "Draco has come to help set up the shop."
"Oh," Molly stopped in her tracks and peered at Draco with a slight frown. "How kind of you," she said, though she didn't sound like she was too happy about it.
"I had the time," Draco said with a shrug. "Ron, George, glad you're here, actually. There are some boxes in the back I could use your help with."
The men trooped to the back of the store to let Molly and Fleur have whatever shadow-argument they were having these days.
"How'd you get pulled into this?" Draco asked Ron and George as he directed them to the boxes.
"You know, mum," Ron murmured. “Always trying to help." He said the last word so snotty that it had Draco snorting.
"Yes, well she's good at that," Draco said quietly. He was pleased that for the third month in a row Molly caught him helping out one of her children, even if it was her second most disliked in-law, after him, of course.
"What brings you here?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.
Draco shrugged. "Hermione voluntold me. Couldn't refuse," he said with half a grin. Hermione had not really pressured him, but he wanted to save face.
Ron and George both snorted.
April
"You didn't have to come do this, Draco," Arthur said, wiping sweat from his face as he leaned on his shovel and breathed hard. Herbology was one of those practices where doing everything the Muggle way produced better results. With Arthur getting up there in the years and none of the Weasley children available, Draco had gladly volunteered his time and his muscles. Arthur was easy company, and the physical labor was a welcome break from some complicated estate business he had been dealing with recently.
"I know, I like to get my hands dirty every now and then though," Draco said, giving the older man a grin. "Besides, Herbology was always one of my best subjects at school. I like the idea of plotting out where each plant ought to go for maximum benefit."
Arthur grinned at him. "I always liked Herbology too," he said, clapping Draco on his shoulder. “Have you heard about the Muggle method of grafting? They do it with roses, fruit trees…” It turned out that Arthur had a wealth of knowledge about methods Draco had never been taught in Herbology class, and Arthur’s enthusiasm was catching. They fell into a rhythm of comfortable conversation while they worked.
Draco did not miss the twitch of the curtain above the sink and grinned to himself as he dug his shovel into the dirt.
May
"If you want to add that in, you have to take out the bit about naturally grown," Percy said, scratching through the parchment. It was a mess of red, blue, and black ink as Percy and Draco argued over the merits of each point.
"Naturally grown is a must though," Draco said. "If you take that out, then the market will be flooded with synthetics, which means inferior potions for the entire country. That cannot be allowed."
"Natural growth will hamper the imports," Percy argued. "If we have to depend only on natural growth, then it'll be too expensive for the average person to afford."
Draco pursed his lips for a moment. Percy was easily the most difficult and irascible Weasley, but Draco half-appreciated his willingness to challenge Draco’s ideas. Not many other wizards would do that. But before he could say anything else, Percy's Floo rang. He pulled the parchment to him as Percy answered the call. He wrote down his ideas in the margin and was still scribbling when Percy came back into the room.
"Oh, Draco, hello," Molly Weasley said, giving him a tight smile. "What are you doing here?"
"Helping Percy draft some regulations around imported potions ingredients," Draco replied. He looked up from the parchment and gave her a grin. "We're having a spirited discussion on the benefits of allowing natural versus synthetic knotweed to be imported."
She laughed then and Draco felt some hope unfurl in his chest. "An argument, you mean, then?" she asked, casting a fond eye at Percy.
Draco smiled and shrugged. "A small one. I'm for keeping as much natural knotweed in as possible, and he wants to allow synthetics."
"Maybe you could make it a hybrid? Only a certain percentage of synthetic knotweed is allowed? To keep the prices low," Molly suggested with a little shrug.
"Mum, that's brilliant," Percy said, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. She reddened and swatted his shoulder before bustling out of the room.
"I'll make you both tea," she called over her shoulder as she headed for Percy's kitchen.
"So, how about it, Draco?" Percy asked. "Keep it at fifty percent knotweed synthetic?"
Draco shook his head. "That's still too much. It would allow for too many variables in the brewing process. No more than twenty-five percent."
Percy pursed his lips for a long moment and then nodded. Draco made the change on the parchment just as Molly bustled back into the room with a tray of tea.
June
"I've got two options for you," Draco said, greeting Charlie the moment he stepped into the Burrow. Molly peeked in on them from the kitchen and then brought tea as Draco laid out a map of the British Isles.
"There are about 4,000 acres here, in Wales, or I've got 6,000 up here in Scotland," Draco said, pointing to the two spots he'd circled in red. "Either one will work, I think. Both are rather private, located in the wilds, so to speak, nested within large Muggle parks and reserves. There's an obvious advantage to the one in Scotland in that it would have room to grow. What's the size of the Romanian Reserve?"
"A little over 3,000 acres," Charlie said absentmindedly as he studied the map. "Which is the closest town to each? I'm not really familiar with either Wales or Scotland."
"Tregaron," Draco said, pointing to the town in Wales. "It's small though, and no wizarding population to speak of. The closest wizarding town is Rhandirmwyn which is even smaller than Tregaron."
He turned the map and then pointed near the Scotland property. "Braemar is the closest village, even smaller than either Tregaron or Rhandirmwyn, but it has the benefit of being entirely magical."
"I like the Scottish one," Charlie said, rubbing his bearded face. "Will it be worth too much?" he asked with a frown.
Draco shook his head. "Hermione didn't tell you? The land itself would be a donation. I've already begun the process of setting up a trust for the cost of the service."
"Woah, Malfoy, you don't have to do all that," Charlie said, leaning away and shaking his head.
Draco rolled his eyes. "It's Draco," he said, then added, "What's the point of being the wealthiest person in wizarding Britain if I don't get to do fun things with it?"
"Like funding an entire dragon reserve?" Charlie asked, half-incredulous.
"Yes," Draco said decisively. "It's about time Britain had her own reserve, and who better to head it than you?" Not to mention that a dragon reserve was much better than some of the things that his family had traditionally done with their wealth.
"So you'd, what, sit on the board?" Charlie asked, tilting his head to the side.
Draco shook his head. "Only if you really want me too. I'd rather donate all the land and money you need and then be hands off. I’ve got plenty of other things to do, without hanging around interfering with your work. It's yours if you want it."
"Will you do it?" Molly said from the doorway. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help overhearing, but Charlie, will you do it? I would love to have you closer."
Charlie smiled at his mum and shook his head again. "How can I possibly say no to an offer like that?"
"Excellent," Draco said with a smile. "The Scottish property then?"
Charlie nodded and they shook hands in agreement. Draco really was happy to spend his vast fortune on things like a British dragon reserve, but the look in Molly Weasley's eye as she hurried over to hug Charlie was worth every knut it was going to cost him. He was just that much closer to getting a jumper.
July
Draco frowned at Bill's arm... it wasn't looking great. The skin had mostly sloughed off and bone and sinew were showing. Bill, for his part, was gritting his teeth, and breathing hard as he tried not to look at it.
"And it keeps coming back?" Draco asked quietly as he ran his wand over the wound, casting a diagnostic spell. Draco had a healers license, though he didn't really use it. It had been something to focus on in those terrible years after the war, but now it mostly just reminded him of all of that past trauma. It was a convenient skillset for the children’s scraped knees and elbows, and for more unusual situations like the current one.
"Every time it's healed," Bill grunted.
"Do you think you can fix it?" Fleur asked quietly. Molly was in the corner, crying and trying to keep herself under control. Draco was tempted to Silence her, but he knew that wouldn't go over well.
He read the diagnostics, then read them again. "The curse is still active. Where's the object that was cursed?"
"At Gringotts," Bill gasped. Draco hit him with another pain control spell, knowing it wasn’t doing much more than taking the edge off.
"We need it. Can it be brought here?" He rummaged through his bag, pulling out a blood replenishing potion and giving it to Bill.
"I'll go speak to your boss," Fleur said. Draco glanced at her in surprise. Fleur must still have some kind of standing in Gringotts if she could simply go and make requests to management.
Hermione had brought Bill and Fleur's children back with her to their house, to keep them occupied. Bill hadn't wanted to go to St Mungo's because everything at the hospital was part of the public record. The object he'd been tasked with obtaining was not quite legal according to wizarding laws, though since he worked for the goblins, the legality could be debated.
"I'm going to do what I can," Draco told Bill plainly. "But if we get to a point where I'm stuck, we're going to Mungo's."
Bill nodded tightly.
"Molly, can you go to Hogwarts and bring Poppy? Tell her to bring more blood replenisher and pain potions, please."
"I—alright," Molly said, wiping her tears and leaving the house to Apparate away.
"Is Poppy really going to leave Hogwarts?" Bill asked. Draco could tell he needed something else to focus on.
"Unlikely, but she'll give Molly the potions and it gets Molly out of here for a bit. This isn't going to be pleasant," Draco muttered as he cast a skin regrowth spell.
Bill screamed, his entire body tensing as the curse that was buried inside his arm rejected the spell. Draco ducked as it came back at him, then shot a shield charm to cover them both. The rejected magic bounced around the room for a moment before absorbing into the shield charm.
"Sorry, I had to try to see what would happen," Draco told Bill who was now even paler and sweatier than before. "I can put you under, if you'd prefer?" Draco suggested.
Bill shook his head with a pained moan. "No, I'd rather be awake."
A moment later Fleur and a goblin came through the Floo. The goblin held a large gold orb carved with intricate designs. "Will you be able to remove the curse if I get it back into the orb?" Draco asked the goblin.
"Perhaps," the goblin replied, "however, I care more about having my best curse breaker back than I do about the removal of the curse from the orb."
"I know where I went wrong," Bill grunted. "I can remove the curse, once my sodding arm is fixed."
The goblin nodded. Draco took a deep breath and turned to Bill. "You're going to need to help me. Can you do that?"
Bill nodded. He sat up a little more and then gave Draco the go ahead. Lifting his wand, Draco started digging into Bill's magical core. The curse was wrapped so tightly around that it was difficult work, but the oily, black substance was easy to spot twined around the brilliant gold of Bill's magic. He teased and pulled at the curse, directing it away from Bill and toward the orb. Being the origin of the curse, the orb almost greedily tugged at it.
By the time they were finished, both Bill and Draco were panting hard. Bill's arm still looked awful, but this time when Draco cast the skin regrowth spell, it took. It was slow going and he was going to need a number of potions for the foreseeable future, but his arm would eventually heal.
"Thank you, Draco," Fleur said emphatically, wrapping her arms around him.
Bill shook his hand and the goblin took the orb back to Gringotts.
When Molly came in moments later with a basket full of potions, she was overcome with emotion. Draco decided that was the time for him to step out. He wasn't even thinking about his Weasley jumper as he helped Bill. He did it because they were family and he had wanted to help.
August
"You know we don't have to do this," Hermione uttered as she directed Draco to hang the streamers in their living room.
"No, but our home is the largest and Molly and Arthur deserve this," Draco replied.
"Is this about the jumper?" Hermione asked.
"What jumper?" Harry interrupted.
Hermione turned to him and Theo, who had just arrived. "Draco here is upset that Molly never knits him a Weasley jumper for Christmas. He's been determined all year to earn one."
"You don't get one?" Harry asked with a frown.
"Would you two shut it?" Draco muttered, sending a half-hearted glare at both Hermione and Theo. "It's not about the jumper, it's about being good to the family."
"Uh-huh, imagine a Malfoy doing something just because," Theo murmured, not sounding convinced. Theo’s comment stung a bit, because he wasn’t entirely wrong. Growing up in the Malfoy family, Draco was to only do nice things if he was obligated or if he wanted something in return. He had spent years trying to shake off the old Malfoy way of thinking.
Hermione just smiled as she bussed Draco’s cheek. She was heavily pregnant now, with the baby due to arrive in a little over a month's time. Draco wrapped her in a hug and then went back to getting the home decorated for the surprise party.
An hour later the guests of honor arrived. The surprise was well worth it. Both Molly and Arthur were in awe at everything their children had done for them.
It wasn't just the family celebrating either. Order members had been invited, as had most of their Hogwarts classmates and Arthur's friends from the Ministry. It was a large party, celebrating a milestone anniversary.
"I can't believe you did all this!" Molly told her children, tears in her eyes as she looked around the room in awe. They had dug through the old photos in the attic at the Burrow, finding as many as they could of their parents and family over the years. The photos had been duplicated and blown up and displayed all around the room.
Joy hung in the air as everyone was happy celebrating the love of the Weasley's. Draco truly did not care about the jumper that night. He was just pleased to see his entire family celebrate together.
September
"You're sure you don't mind?" Ginny asked as she rushed about the room.
"Of course not," Draco replied. He already had little Luca bouncing on his knee, and Anna was playing quietly on the floor with her dolls. "It's your anniversary, go have fun. I think I can handle my niece and nephew for an evening."
"Schedule is on the counter," Ginny said absentmindedly as she moved her essentials from her diaper bag and into her purse. "As is the Floo address for the restaurant Blaise and I will be at. And you'll call mum if Hermione goes into labor, right?"
"Absolutely," Draco reassured her. "I've got it handled. Go, or you'll be late and Blaise will be cross."
Ginny laughed and hurried over to give each of her kids a kiss on the forehead. "Be good for Uncle Draco," she told them. With one last grateful smile, she was out the door and a moment later Draco heard the crack of her Apparition.
"Well, now, who's hungry?" Draco asked.
"Yeah!" Luca said, giving Draco a toothy smile.
"Me!" Anna replied, without looking up from her dolls.
"Excellent, I'll be making the Uncle Draco special, of a box of macaroni and cheese. How does that sound?"
"Luca loves macaroni and cheese," Anna replied primly. "I just think it's okay, but I'll eat it for you." She gave him a swift smile over her shoulder, and Draco tossed a wink in her direction.
Filling in for Ginny and Blaise's babysitter at the last minute wasn't exactly what Draco wanted to be doing, especially with Hermione being so close to her due date. When Ginny called Hermione panicked, he stepped in. The last thing Hermione needed to be doing right now was worrying over her niece and nephew. His own mum was already on standby to take Scorpius and Helena should Hermione go into labor. Draco tried to keep as calm as possible, though anxiety was eating at his insides.
The Floo rang about halfway through the night, and Draco was surprised to see Molly stepping through. "Draco! There you are! Your mum just Floo called me. Hermione's labor has started."
"How is she?" Draco asked, his heart leaping into his throat. Even though Hermione had been through this before, it still made him nervous. He hated seeing her in pain, and he hated not being able to be the one to take the pain away from her.
"She's fine, off at St. Mungo's already. By the time you get there, they'll have her settled in her room. Your father went with. Now how are Luca and Anna? I’ll watch them of course," she looked around the living room, which Draco had straightened to help calm his nerves.
"Fast asleep, and have been for about an hour. Floo address of where Ginny and Blaise are having dinner is on the counter," Draco said as he gathered his coat and hurried toward the Floo. "Thanks, Molly," he told her, giving her a small smile just before stepping in and Flooing to St. Mungo's.
Hermione's labor went smoothly, as it always did. Draco had worried a lot for nothing, but that was normal. They had another beautiful little girl, with white blond hair that was already beginning to curl.
"Well?" Hermione asked, "what shall her name be?"
"Lyra?" Draco suggested. "Lyra Jean Malfoy."
"Perfect," Hermione said, pressing a kiss to Draco's lips and then another to the top of Lyra's head.
October
"Thanks for this, Malfoy," Harry said as they stood gazing at the crowd in the atrium of the Ministry. "You didn't have to show up and gladhand, especially without Hermione."
Drago shrugged. He was frankly getting tired of everyone telling him that he didn’t have to be doing whatever he was doing.
"I wasn't going to make her attend. She's got her hands full with Lyra, who's barely sleeping, I'll remind you. Thankfully, Mum has taken Scorpius and Helena for the night. Besides, it's for a good cause."
"That it is," Harry said, with some satisfaction. They were fundraising for magical orphans. Even 20 years after the war, there was still a need for people to help the children who needed it most. Orphans were near and dear to Potter's heart, and it hadn't taken him more than a year after the war to set up this charity. It was an annual tradition. All of their generation that fought in the war came out to beg the older, richer, pureblood faction for money.
It became one of the biggest social events of the year and Draco hated it with a fiery passion, but he knew that his influence would bring in some of the more reluctant donors. Plus, the event was important to Hermione, and she couldn’t attend this year. Draco really did love that witch.
"Well, let's do it," Draco muttered. He and Harry bumped shoulders and off they went their separate ways into the crowd to begin the evening.
Halfway through the event, Harry found himself talking with Molly and Arthur. Theo was off gathering drinks, and Draco was talking to the Greengrasses.
"Draco didn't have to come tonight," Molly said with a tsk.
"Well, he's doing it for the jumper," Harry said distractedly, as he watched Theo make his way through the crowd.
"The jumper?" Molly asked, with a frown. "What jumper?"
"Oh, shite," Harry hissed, his eyes widening. "I shouldn't have said anything."
"Said anything about what?" Arthur asked, tuning into the conversation again.
"What did Harry put his foot into now?" Theo questioned as he handed Harry his drink.
"I may have accidentally mentioned the jumper," Harry mumbled to Theo. "Save me."
"Nope, this is all you," Theo replied. "Besides, maybe it'll be good for Molly to hear."
"Hear what?" Molly demanded. "Tell me what's going on."
"It's just that Draco is determined to get one of your famous Weasley jumpers for Christmas this year," Harry said. He eyed the crowd, seeing that Draco was still busy with the Greengrasses. "He's never gotten one, you see—"
"What?!" Molly exclaimed. "That can't be true, I had to have knitted him at least one. He and Hermione have been married for more than a decade. I..." she trailed off as it occurred to her in all those years she had never, not once, knitted a jumper with a D on the front of it. "Oh, no."
She looked horrified and Harry felt awful. "I'm sure it's fine, Molly. You know how Draco is, just like Hermione, a bit of a perfectionist, overachiever. He—"
"He must think I hate him!" Molly wailed. Arthur put his arm around her as she cried into his shoulder. "I'm awful! I can't believe I've never made him one."
"Shhh, now, Molly-Wobbles, it's okay," Arthur said, rubbing her back. "It's only October, plenty of time to get one knitted up before Christmas."
Molly calmed herself, nodding as she listened to her husband and dabbed at her tears. "I think we ought to go, Arthur. I'm not feeling much like a party right now."
"Shite, Molly, I'm sorry," Harry said again, feeling really terrible now. So much for his political abilities.
"Hush, dear. You did nothing wrong. In fact, I'm glad you brought this to my attention. A horrible oversight on my part."
Harry watched the Weasleys go and wished that he hadn't mentioned anything. If Draco found out, he'd not be pleased. "Don't you dare say a word to him," Harry hissed to Theo as Draco finished up with the Greengrasses and made his way over to them.
November
Draco frowned at the advertisement Audrey had slid his way. They were at the Burrow for Sunday lunch and Percy was out of town again. "I was hoping you'd look it over," Audrey said. "I'm trying to market to your set. Not that the Weasleys aren't lovely people," she murmured, her face reddening.
"It's too Muggle," Draco replied back. He pulled out a quill and made a few adjustments. "It needs to be more discreet. It needs to be able to intrigue them. Intrigue will get them in the door, and your good work will keep them happy."
"Thanks, Draco," Audrey said with a relieved sigh. "Muggles are all well and good, but I know how lacking the wizarding world is with mental healthcare. Hermione was just telling me last week that after the war there was only a single therapist available for the more than 3,000 combatants. That's just..." Audrey shook her head. "There's a lot of catching up that needs to be done, I gather."
"It's definitely an area that needs more attention," Draco agreed. Thinking about his own post-war time when he’d been mandated to see the mind-healer. Though it helped, he always wondered whether seeing someone like Audrey would have been more beneficial to him. He didn't exactly click with the Ministry mandated therapist.
"What's that dear?" Molly asked, as she picked up the mostly finished bowl of mashed potatoes.
"Draco's helping fix my advertisement for the Daily Prophet. I'm hoping to start getting some wizarding clients in," Audrey explained.
"Let me help with cleaning up," Draco said, taking the bowl from Molly with a smile. He half-listened in as Molly and Audrey talked while he, Bill, and Charlie cleaned up. It felt like home, coming to the Burrow on Sundays to spend time with his family. Hermione was in the corner chatting with Ginny and Theo, the kids were somewhere upstairs, judging by the racket, and everything in his world felt perfect.
December
When Boxing Day rolled around again, Draco wasn't nervous. It would be fine if Molly didn't knit him a jumper. He'd spent his year spending more time with his family, and was surprised by how much better he had gotten to know them. At this point, he felt like they had helped him more than the other way round. If no jumper came his way, he was just happy to be here, happy to be celebrating with his large and generous family.
The Burrow was lit up as always, warm and welcoming. Arthur and Molly shooed them all in to open presents first thing.
"The meal can wait!" Molly said. It wasn’t like Molly to change the order of things. They were ushered into the lounge where an absolutely enormous pile of gifts awaited. Draco unloaded their own bag of gifts, adding to the pile. With a family this big, the gifts nearly covered the entire Christmas tree.
"Alright, alright," Arthur said, getting everyone to settle down. He played Father Christmas and passed out the first round of gifts to the children. Children always went first, then the adults. In order from youngest to oldest. It took hours, but nobody minded.
The first gift Draco got was a Weasley jumper. It was green, with a silver D on it. It was soft and warm, and he put it right on. "Thank you," he mouthed to Molly and wiped his eyes. They were moist, but he was definitely not crying. Malfoy's didn't cry.
His next gift was a Weasley jumper too. This one was in a blue so light that almost matched his eyes. The D was a brilliant white. He frowned and looked up at Molly, who positively twinkled at him. He nodded his thanks and folded the jumper up.
The following gift was also a jumper. A horrid orange thing with a brown D and he laughed when he saw it. It was exactly like a jumper Hermione had from one of her last years in school.
"To match," Molly mouthed to him when he looked up at her with a grin.
In fact, every single present Draco opened was a Weasley jumper. He received 12 of them in all. One for every year he had been with Hermione. It was... the most touching thing anyone had ever done for him.
"Someone told you," he said to Molly much later that day. The kids were all outside playing in the snow and the adults were either lounging or playing a game of exploding snap.
"Harry, by accident," Molly admitted. "But honestly, I'm ashamed of myself for having forgotten you so long."
"This more than makes up for it," Draco admitted. Then he hugged her, before he could start crying again. He had never just hugged her spontaneously before. "Thank you. I always wanted to be part of a big family."
"Thank you, Draco. You care about this family as much as any of us, and we care about you too," Molly told him, holding him tight.
It was Draco's best Christmas yet.
~Fin~