familiar ; draco malfoy

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

Scrapes of artex fell from the ceiling as Romeo wobbled on a ladder to hang the fairy. The horrid, tacky ornament was a gift from Ray's mother and he dutifully placed it on the tree each year, even after she'd passed and all four of them agreed they despised it.

The havoc of Ramona's complaining, Ray's singing and Romeo 'accidentally' breaking ornaments he didn't like continued until a loud, beeping noise startled the household.

"What in the world is that?" inquired a perplexed Ray over the music, dropping the tinsel as he glanced towards the kitchen.

"Darling, haven't you taken out the pie?"

"The pie?" he echoed, staring at his wife.

"Yes, the pie."

"Oh my!" Throwing the tinsel carelessly and consumed by sheer panic, Ray rushed into the kitchen as speedily as he could. His Christmas socks did little to keep him from slipping on the recently scrubbed kitchen tiles and the poor man barely caught himself in time, sprinting towards the thick cloud of grey smoke. Ramona had forgotten entirely about the pie, as had all of them. Ray's exasperated sighs and cries sounded loudly over the joyous holiday tunes.

"Romeo, check on your father won't you?"

Even before his mother had said it, Romeo was leaving his job behind and gathering courage to enter the kitchen. Once inside he proceeded to console his father, who began blaming 'the Christmas spirit' for completely throwing him off schedule. "It was the clock, I believe it is too slow. Perhaps- oh, perhaps I've heated the oven more than I should have. Yes, precisely. Or maybe- Romeo, did you touch the oven?"

Romeo began listing his own views on the subject but would not bring up what they all knew to be the true root of the problem. Even the rats living under their house could have concluded that Ray's grand failure was to be blamed on nothing other than his cooking skills. The man was a disaster in the kitchen, he'd even admitted to it many times, thus the excitement in his eyes once he exclaimed he was making a pie came as a shock to everyone. But his family was kind enough not to point it out.

"I'm sorry, everyone," he exclaimed, returning to the living room in shame. "I've tried my very best to provide a lovely Christmas Eve desert for this family. But I've been bested by the cooking gods."

"That's certainly it, dad," said Romeo, patting his father on the back.

"Right," said Regina, "Wouldn't you lot like to eat something unburnt? I'll whip up a pie in a moment."

"I'd be proud of my cooking skills too, if I were a magician," Ray grumbled, set on diffusing the tension. Romeo forced out a laugh.

"I'm a witch, not a magician."

"Yes, sweetheart, that's quite unfortunate. I've never seen you pull a rabbit out of a hat. Now, when you learn that trick, you can brag."

"Have you taken into consideration the Blibbering Humdinge?" asked Ramona.

"The what?"

"Blibbering Huminge. Nasty creatures, they are. I bet they sabotaged your pie," Ramona joked.

"Oh, perhaps you're right. I've not considered magical pests of any kind. Is this Bewildering Humdinger known to do such things?" Ray inquired, appearing genuinely interested in the subject.

"I'm afraid you'll have to ask a friend of mine, she's the expert on such creatures," she explained and Ray joyfully nodded along at the mention of a friend, genuinely interested in the topic.

"Friend?" Regina inquired, even before Ray was able to ask a question of his own.

"Yes."

"Who is this friend?"