The Magic Of The Night.
Title: The Magic Of The Night.
Author: Pekeleke
Pairing(s): Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter.
Rating: M
Challenge: Written for the adventdrabbles 2021. Prompt #10: Women holding holiday sparkles
Word Count: 988
Warnings: Explicit Language. Dramatic Draco. Humor.
Disclaimer: The characters, setting, and the HP franchise are owned by JKR and not me. I make no profit from writing this piece of fanfiction.
A/N: Unbeated. Ch 10 of my Christmas Series: Threatening To Love You.
Summary: The magic of the evening will vanish like a dream at daybreak. Leaving behind a host of delightful memories to treasure. That is the nature of Draco’s job. He is in the business of creating beautiful illusions. Reality could never be so charming.
The Magic Of The Night.
In Draco’s humble opinion, there’s nothing more festive than a crowd of half-drunk women in Santa hats, singing Christmas carols off-key while holding holiday sparkles. Especially when the group of women in question features the usually dour matrons of the Department Of Magical Documentation And Research.
Betsy, their boss and Draco’s favorite person on the Ministry’s payroll, had requested an old-fashioned party. She wanted Christmas crackers, hats, sparkles, an old gramophone belting out Christmas classics, and alcohol, which Draco was allowed to provide because she’d scheduled her department’s soiree after hours. Betsy had implied that Draco should merely push away the desks on the common area of her department and use expandable charms to create enough room for her staff to dance. Draco had been so appalled by her suggestion that she’d laughed for an hour before agreeing to let him do his job.
Tonight, the cluttered workspace of the Department Of Magical Documentation And Research has been folded away. The Ministry walls enclosing it securely in one of the magical pockets the original architects had built into the structure of the building. Draco’s familiarity with Hogwarts’ Room Of Requirement had allowed him to identify the magical similarities between that room and the Ministry’s ‘hide and secure’ workspaces feature. He’d created a specialized charm that enables him to manipulate the magic and uses it ruthlessly to rearrange the layout of the venues he’s stuck with.
In the small amount of time between the end of the workday and seven-thirty, Draco’s team has converted the space into an open-air cobbled-stone village courtyard, complete with a suitably impressive Christmas tree in the middle. Strings of fairy lights crisscross the ceiling, charmed to display a starry night. Buffet tables, specifically handcrafted to look like colorful market stalls, frame the design. To the left side, a tastefully decorated wooden sleigh holds the Malfoy’s very own ancient heirloom gramophone, which enhances the festive atmosphere by releasing the familiar notes of traditional Christmas songs straight into the middle of the cozy dance floor that ties the staged scene together.
Draco has also charmed small silver bells to float gently above the crowd, twinkling every now and then to add to the whimsical village-fair atmosphere. Sprigs of mistletoe hang charmingly here and there, and the usual snowflake-generating charm is in place, sprinkling just the right amount of seasonal white over the make-believe winter scene that Draco has so lovingly brought to life. Just because Betsy wants an old-fashioned event, it doesn’t mean that Draco can’t add a touch of sophistication to her request. Village-square Christmas parties are old-fashioned. Draco has seen them in paintings and read about them extensively. Still, he’s never attended -or heard about- one in his lifetime. That should make Draco’s design old-style enough for Betsy.
By ten-thirty, loud and giggly merrymaking signals the success of the party. Draco is pleased. And tired. Juliet is dancing with Betsy’s second in command, and Draco himself has just begged off the dance floor. He looks around, satisfied that his job is done, and sneaks quietly out the door. The cleaning crew will arrive at midnight. Dismantling his charms and returning Betsy’s department to its usual appearance. The magic of the evening will vanish like a dream at daybreak. Leaving behind a host of delightful memories to treasure. That is the nature of Draco’s job. He is in the business of creating beautiful illusions. Reality could never be so charming.
Draco shoves his hands inside his robes’ pockets and stares down at his shoes as he walks towards the lifts, thoughts focused not on the job he’s completed but on the ones that await him. December is the busiest month of the year for his department.
“Fancy seeing you here, future-boyfriend of mine. I was just er— haunting the lifts at this time of the night for an excellent reason that I will come up with shortly,” Harry’s unexpected voice startles Draco into looking up, and a huge, pleased grin brightens his features. Draco feels a lot less tired all of a sudden.
“Harry! I see you’re back to stalking me in deserted corridors,” He teases and watches in fascination as his future-boyfriend blushes the most charming shade of red.
“Shut it, you, git. I just wanted to see you in fancy robes. You look nice, by the way. Breathtaking, actually.”
Draco preens. He attends hundreds of parties a year, has the fancy robes to match, but there hasn’t been anyone to admire them on him in ages, “Thank you,” He says quietly, feeling oddly bashful, and Harry’s unashamed staring doesn’t help in the slightest.
“I want to kiss you so badly,” Harry confesses suddenly, tone rough with blatant want. Draco’s entire body shivers in reaction. He’s not used to such open admiration, and it goes straight to his head.
“What are you waiting for, then? An engraved invitation?”
“I want to go slow,” Harry reminds him, “I’m trying to show you that I’m serious about us.”
“Harry. You’ve been freezing in an empty corridor for Merlin knows how long, just to get a look of me in formal wear. You bought me feel-better tea when I was behaving like a troll, instead of telling me to go, get stuffed. I can tell you’re invested. Now come over here and snog me silly, you, insufferably noble prat.”
Harry bursts out into nervous giggles. He looks fondly at Draco as he approaches him, reaches up to frame his face with slightly trembling hands, and plants the softest little kiss on the very tip of his nose.
“That’s cheating,” Draco complains, and that’s the moment Harry chooses to bring their mouths together. Their first kiss is soft and steady. Reverent. It’s full of feeling. Full of laughter. Full of hope. Draco sighs, gladly melting into the tender caress. He can feel the love that fuels it settle, like a warm blanket, deep inside his bones.