A/N: First part of my Christmas trilogy, it takes place after HBP.
Big thanks to Catmint for beta'ing this story for me.
Disclaimer: none of this is mine, it all belongs to JKR.
Christmas trilogy Part One: Draco Malfoy (A Visit from Three Christmas Spirits)
O Holy Night
Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure
O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining
… Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
A fierce bitter wind had kicked up outside the hovel. The clouds threatened to coat the stark frozen ground with snow. Inside the hovel, a young wizard shivered helplessly from the cold. He was slowly becoming more and more lucid day after day. He buried himself under the covers, to try and keep warm. The fire had gone out but he was still much too weak to even attempt to get up and get it started again.
His dreams were a swirl of green flashes, horrendous pain and emptiness. Most of the time when he awoke he was alone; other times a cold hand rested on his forehead and a silky voice calmed his screams.
His bleary eyes rested on the small Muggle music box perched precariously between the rows of books lining the walls. He realized it was Christmas, or close to it by the sounds emanating from it. Snape must have left it on for him. His eyes slowly closed again as he sank into a restless sleep.
"Wake up, Malfoy!"
He blinked wearily, then inhaled sharply and shrank back. A cry of pain escaped his lips as his muscles contracted. Glistening in front of him was Nearly Headless Nick, the resident Gryffindor ghost.
"You almost killed one of my Gryffindors with those poisoned chocolates!"
He didn't respond, just stared.
"Cat got your tongue, young Malfoy? Just as arrogant and despicable as your father." Nick shook his head a little too forcefully, causing it to roll off his shoulders and hang from his neck by a thread.
Draco closed his eyes tightly. "G-go a-away," he managed to hoarsely whisper.
Oh no you don't. I'm here to show you Christmas Past and you won't whine your way out of this." The affronted ghost snorted as he straightened his head again.
The pale blond on the bed refused to open his eyes. "No! Noooooooooooooo, p-please," Draco protested weakly as Nick waved his wand and he found himself floating along effortlessly beside him.
He was whisked through the air. He knew it was cold but he didn't feel it. He found himself in front of a decrepit hovel. He gasped as he found himself hauled right through the wall. Inside a tall dark haired man snarled at a thin pale woman. "We haven't got any money!"
"I know, love, but think of Severus - he's just a little boy and it's Christmas. I could just use my wand this one time and…"
The thin man sneered. "You think I can't provide for the brat! He has food and a roof over his head; that's enough! You are forbidden from using that hocus pocus." He advanced on the woman while a small boy huddled, crying, in the corner.
"Not all people grew up spoiled rotten, getting everything they ever wanted," Nick chided.
"I w-wasn't!" Draco croaked out.
Nick waved his wand again.
Suddenly he was at Malfoy Manor. His mother stood in the room. "Mother?" He threw himself towards her but ended up stumbling right through her.
"She can't see you," Nick remarked with an amused grin.
It was then that Draco noticed himself – that is the ten-year-old version of himself - in the process of throwing a temper tantrum.
"You promised me a new broom! You lied to me! I might as well have been born into a Muggle family. You don't love me!" The young blond stamped his feet.
The tall blonde woman ran to him. "Hush, darling, don't upset yourself so. Of course I love you; you are my only son. I'll order the best broom I can find for you for Christmas. " She kissed him on the forehead. He smirked.
Nick raised an eyebrow at the teenaged wizard beside him and earned himself a glare in return.
Nick waved his wand again. This time they found themselves in a Muggle neighborhood where every house looked the same as the other. They went inside where an overweight blond boy was also throwing a tantrum. "The freak touched one my soldiers!" he screamed.
A tall, scrawny woman with a thin, bitter face ran out of the kitchen, bent down and hauled the small black-haired boy from behind the sofa to his feet. A stark lightning-shaped scar stood out on his pale forehead.
"I didn't touch it," he explained quietly.
She hauled him roughly out of the room and hurled him into a broom closet and locked him in. "You stay in your room until Christmas is over!" she shrieked. You are not part of this family!"
Nick forced Draco into the small cupboard. The little black-haired boy sat huddled against the wall, tears streaming out of his green eyes while he whispered, "It's not fair." Awhile later, the cupboard door flew open and an enormous burly man with a huge head poked his face inside. "So you thought you could touch Dudley's toys? Maybe it's time you were taught a lesson!"
The small, pale, tear-strained face looked up at him, terror-stricken.
Before he had a chance to blink, Draco was back in his own bed. Alone. He warily glanced around the room. His heart was still racing; he had felt Potter's fear. He took a shaky breath and sank beneath the covers again.
A while later a rather grating voice called his name. "Draco? Come on Draco, wakey wakey. I'm here to take you on an adventure."
He opened his eyes and gasped to find Moaning Myrtle's face right next to his. She giggled. "Hi Draco, I've missed you. Are you feeling all right? You don't look well." Her brow furrowed. "Perhaps a nice hot bath would do you good?" She giggled again.
He cleared his throat. "W-why are you h-here?"
"I've been given the task of showing you Christmas Present."
"W-who," he paused to concentrate on his words, "gave y-you that task?" He asked wearily, again forcing himself shakily into a sitting position as a wave of nausea rolled over him.
She giggled. "I can't tell you that. Come on!"
With a sharp intake of air, Draco found himself heading headfirst down the toilet and through the pipes. The cold water didn't freeze him and he could still breathe fine. He found himself once again at Malfoy Manor. This time he was in his own bedroom. His mother was there on her knees beside his bed, crying bitterly.
"M-Mother." He dropped to his knees beside her. Tears welled up in his own eyes. "Mum." He pleaded with her to look up.
"Don't, it's ok. Hush; don't make yourself more ill. She can't see you," Myrtle crooned, trying to calm him.
"W-why a-am I h-h-here?" Draco stuttered.
"Draco, I'm so sorry. What have we done to you? You are my only son; I'm going to lose you because of choices we made. It was my job as your mother to keep you safe." His mother looked up staring off into space right through him.
Draco's heart clenched. He had never seen his mother look so haggard. Her usual porcelain skin was grey; her blue eyes dull, rimmed in red. Her hair wasstraggled and unkempt.
"N-not your fault. W-wanted to be like D-Dad. D-didn't know it would be like t-this," he said, distraught.
"It's time to go. Come on."
He shook his head but found himself going down the toilet in his bathroom.
"T-that was cruel!" He gulped.
"I'm sorry." She looked genuinely guilty. "But it's the life you have chosen, isn't it? You could have turned away from it years ago. Instead in second year, you made fun of me when you found out the heir of Slytherin was the one responsible for my death." Myrtle grew serious for a moment, and then big fat tears welled in her ghostly eyes. "I will never get to grow up, I'll never have a life because of someone you worship."
"You w-were the Mudblood that d-died?" he whispered his voice trembling with shock.
"Yes!" she hissed at him.
"S-sorry. D-don't, I don't worship him. H-he almost k-killed me."
She snorted. "Well, you were lucky to have Professor Snape care enough to save you."
He found himself in a graveyard and there in front of him were two weeping adults. A man and a woman. They lay flowers down on the grave in front of them.
"We lost you much too soon. We will always love you."
He saw the name on the gravestone. Cedric Diggory.
He turned to Myrtle and whimpered. "N-no, I d-don't want to see this; please back to Spinner'sEnd."
"Why Draco, why does it bother you - Cedric's death? Weren't you the one that said he was the first of many who would die….."
"S-stop," he pleaded, closing his eyes to the terrible grief he witnessed in front of him.
When he next opened his eyes Myrtle was gone. He found himself standing in Hogsmeade. "Oh great," he mumbled upon seeing the Golden Trio with their friends.
"It's so wonderful to be strolling the streets of Hogsmeade without having to worry about Voldemort or Death Eaters," Ginny commented.
"A lot of people died to make that possible," Harry said sadly, taking Ginny's hand.
"We have to look to the future now. Harry, if it hadn't been for you there wouldn't be any future, not for any of us," Ron stated.
"'Mione? Are you all right?" Harry asked the quiet witch.
She smiled wryly. "Yes, I was just thinking about the Death Eaters who died. Entire families were wiped out. Do you think any of them came to the conclusion that they were on the wrong side or did they all die still believing in everything that Voldemort stood for?"
"I don't care to think about them. I'm just glad they're dead," Neville said fiercely.
"We're all going to have a wonderful life now," Luna stated dreamily, her holly earrings bobbing merrily.
Draco's heart skipped a beat - the Dark Lord was gone? Potter had done it? When had all this happened? He hoped his parents had made it through alive.
His heart stopped when Potter and his entourage came closer. He was standing right in front of them yet they didn't seem to see him. "M-Myrtle?" he called out. He must still be invisible but where was his ghost? He focused on Spinner's End and found that he started to float in that direction. He hoped to find Snape there by now and maybe find out what happened to his parents.
The small house was dark but the front door was open. He entered to find his former professor slumped on the floor with a bottle of Firewhisky. The dark eyes stared off into space.
"Professor Snape?" he spoke, realizing a second later that the man couldn't hear him.
The dark head shook sadly. "Dead, they are all dead," he whispered repeatedly.
"W- who?" Draco asked with trepidation.
But the Potions Master slumped over, too drunk to say anymore.
Fear clenching his heart, Draco headed back to Hogsmeade. There on the street he saw Pansy. He was so relieved to see her well. He hurried towards her but then came to a screeching stop as Dean Thomas came out of a store and handed her a gift. She beamed up at him as they walked together hand-in-hand. His heart clenched.
He shook his head in shock; this couldn't be true, she would never cheat on him, especially not with a blasted Gryffindor. Suddenly he froze- Professor Dumbledore stood shimmering in front of him. He didn't say anything but pointed. Guilt-stricken and nauseous Draco floated backwards away from him. The former Headmaster lifted a long bony hand and pointed a finger towards a field just outside of Hogsmeade.
"N – no," he whimpered. He knew there was a graveyard there. A graveyard for destitute wizards. He didn't want to go there.
But the Headmaster kept pointing. With a whimper Draco headed slowly in the direction of the graveyard. His heart leapt when he saw the Mudblood Granger and Potter standing there.
"I despised him all those years at Hogwarts but he didn't deserve this. He would have switched sides," Potter stated.
"He didn't have to become a Death Eater."
"He was a git but when he realized what he had gotten into he was scared for his life and for his family."
Draco moved closer. With fear clenching around his heart Draco saw the inscription:
Draco MalfoyBeloved and cherished son
Age 17
Beside his grave were to two others, his parents.
"Nooooooooooo!" he screamed.
"I-I don't want to die, I d-don't want them to die," he sobbed over and over again. He realized someone was holding him tightly while gently stroking his back and hair. When the storm of tears passed he thought Snape must have come back, although he was amazed that he was being so gentle. Aside from forcing potions down his throat he didn't spend much time with him and barely spoke to him. He didn't want to let go of the warmth. He buried his face against the robes, and the beard tickled his nose. Suddenly it hit him that Snape didn't have a beard. With a gasp he pulled back, then with every ounce of strength he had left he pressed himself fearfully against the wall.
"Calm down, Draco. I assure you I won't hurt you."
Draco frantically looked around and he realized that he was back at Spinner's End, lying on the bed and there in front of him was Dumbledore andhe wasn't shimmering anymore. He looked solid. The former headmaster turned and re-ignited the fire in the grate.
"Am I d-dead?" Draco asked plaintively.
"No."
"But you're dead, andy-you c-could t-touch me."
"Shhhh dear boy. Take some deep breaths. I know this is rather upsetting to you right now, especially in your condition, but I assure you I am not dead."
"I s-saw you die," Draco choked out, shaking profusely.
"One can't die if one is already dead," Dumbledore said cryptically.
"But -"
"Shhh, Draco, I will explain everything much later. I'm sorry I put you through all this, but I needed to make sure. Are you ready to come to the right side?"
"Yes, I w-was in the t-tower, I-I lowered my w-wand."
"I know, but a lot has happened and I needed to confirm that you hadn't changed your mind. There is hope, dear boy."
"S-Snape killed you!" he shrieked, his gray eyes wide with confusion.
"Now is not the time for me to explain all this; you need to rest. Suffice it to say that what I told you in the tower still stands. I fully trust Severus Snape. However, I do not want you to say anything to him. I will return later today. Do you understand, Draco?" Dumbledore asked, concern evident in his voice.
Draco nodded. "My parents?" he whispered hesitantly.
"They are both still alive. What you saw was a vision of Christmas in the future and what could happen, not what necessarily will."
Draco shook his head repeatedly.
"Draco, STOP. I am sorry-I have worn you out far too much with the help of Nick and Myrtle. You need to sleep now."
He turned and handed Draco a white fluffy teddy bear. "A little early Christmas gift!"
The teen frowned. "I'm not a c-child."
Dumbledore smiled knowingly, lifted the blanket and tucked the bear up against him.
Draco realized the bear was like a hot water-bottle it radiated warmth into his chilly bones. He wrapped his arms around it, holding it close, andwith a sigh he lay his head down on it. Just before he drifted off into an exhausted sleep, he felt the headmaster's hand briefly rest on his head.
"Focus on hope, my dear boy. Happy Christmas."
A/N2: This is the first part of a trilogy. All take place after HBP. Part two is centered on Harry; part three will focus on Snape and then all. All your questions will be answered. Is Dumbledore truly alive? What happened to him? Why is Draco so ill? What happened to him? Has Harry found anymore Horcuxes?