Choices

First Christmas

It was the day before Christmas and Ginny realized they had no tree.

Really, they didn't have much of anything, and their money went towards existing until one of them could get a good job, and they had no idea how to deal with being a family yet, and...

But it was Christmas! There would be no fairy lights, no chocolate fudge, no Christmas jumpers, no gnome on the tree, no brothers to laugh with, no mother to tell her not to eat the food yet, no father to smile and talk about muggles with. They should at least have a tree!

And... maybe ornaments if they could?

As the streets were more and more filled with colourful lights and decorations, the more their flat looked grey and dull. Weren't first Christmas supposed to be magical?

Ginny looked on the ground where Malfoy had decided to spend his day, bored out of his mind, she wondered if he felt the same, if he missed his parents and Christmas with them, if he also wanted to reach for a comforting hand that wouldn't arrive. It wouldn't be too difficult to imagine that he'd be missing some fancy gala with the best food and Christmas ornaments made of gold, or whatever rich wizards did to pass the holidays, rather than sharing his spot on the ground with a curious toddler that would occasionally hit him with his only plush toy.

Considering how he used to scream at being left with Draco, she considered that an improvement.

"You are just going to let him?" he had noticed her looking and she thought it just made it funnier, he raised his eyebrow but this show of dignity was ruined by another hit.

Ginny smiled and leaned forward on her spot on the couch "We should buy a tree."

"With what money?" he scowled at her.

"It's our first Christmas, we should have a tree!" she exclaimed jumping from the couch and Harry turned towards her, curious at the noise.

Draco decided to just ignore her and close his eyes, block the Weasley when she had one of her ideas seemed like the best option. Only, Ginny refused to be ignored and, instead, poked him in the ribs.

"What?!"

He always looked just a little wrong when he was mad, twitching in contained anger, less than the perfect Malfoy he had been at Hogwarts, she had never noticed that back then, he had always looked haughty in his new pristine clothing and she thought he looked stupid, when mad he was less guarded and it just made her want to do it again.

"It's Christmas! Not even you can be so nonchalant about it!" she grinned and he sat down huffing.

"Why not?" he asked annoyed but it did nothing to damper her enthusiasm "The only fun about it were the presents and I'm not getting any, so"

"Really, nothing fun about Christmas for you?" Ginny asked in disbelief.

"Our family... my father," Draco started, eyes glazing "He used the holidays for networking, it was never really much fun."

Draco didn't understand why talking about his father came so difficult lately, he wanted to believe the bitterness he felt was only of missing him and that any displeasure was solely on being time-displaced, refused to look further than that.

"Wow," she laughed "sounds even more boring than I thought"

He rolled his eyes, ready to ignore her again but she stopped him again.

"What now?" his irritation growing.

"We need a tree," she said, looking intently in his eyes, the soft brown hues making him uncomfortable.