𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒

Chapter 16

"Wake up, Malachi," George stated cheerily, shaking the sleeping boy. "Its Christmas morning, are you going to sleep all day?"

Draco grunted and rubbed his eyes as he sat up in his bed. Ever since being found he had stayed with Granny in her wagon. William had bought a single bed from the Salvation Army and it was pushed up against the back wall with a curtain hanging in front of it to give the boy privacy.

"Come on," George whined like a child, pulling at Draco's arm. "Granny won't let us open our presents unless you're there too."

Draco nodded with a grin and threw the blankets off, grabbing the thin blue robe off the floor and wrapping it around himself. He followed George out behind the curtain to find the rest of the family sitting in the living area around a small tree which they had all covered in decorations the night before.

Elizabeth handed him a cup of hot cocoa and Draco sat on the floor beside the chair that Granny was in. The morning was spent joyously opening the few presents they had either made or bought for each other.

Draco had received a large hunting knife from Sean. Elizabeth had made him a beautiful green cable knit sweater that fitted his body perfectly. William had bought him his own whittling kit which had many types of blades that could be inserted into the single handle, making one knife into many to get different cuts in the wood. He had received two decks of cards from George, one a normal deck that came with a book on card tricks, the other a nice set of tarot cards. Cassandra had given him a whole slew of mind-bending puzzles, stating they were to keep his mind sharp and his fingers nimble. Draco was engrossed in trying to figure out the Rubik's cube as the others opened their presents.

The best gift he had received was from Granny and at first he felt bad in taking it. She had given him a set of rosary beads that had been handed down from her grandmother, to her mother, and then to her before her father had cast her out. Draco had tried to refuse at first, thinking that surely they should go to William, George or Cassandra. The old lady had been insistent, stating that she would give them to none other than her angel. The others had agreed and Draco now had the long beads looped around his neck so the solid silver crucifix rested in the center of his chest.

Everyone had been excited when Granny opened her gift from Malachi. She had tears of happiness running down her face as she held and fingered each figure that Draco had whittled, holding the one of him close to her heart. The whole family had ended up sniffling and laughing at their own emotions in the end.

Draco had wished he had had his money from his account in Gringotts so he could have bought better gifts for everyone, but they all seemed genuinely pleased with what he had gotten them.

For Sean he had bought a set of bells for the harness of his horses that he had been wanting. Elizabeth received a beautiful green and blue hair pin in the shape of a butterfly which she had put immediately into her bun. William and George had each been given a book from Draco. Williams was on the history or the Royal Family with which the older man had a secret obsession with, and George's was an expose of all the great illusions and escapes of Harry Houdini, detailing how each one was done. For Cassandra he had bought a gorgeous shawl that could be worn over the shoulders or around the waist. It was colored the blue of a summer sky and had silver threading though it and the fine tassels that dangled from it, making it shimmer and shine.

Cassandra loved it and tied it around her waist, doing a bit of an old gypsy dance, making it sway and glitter enticingly as she moved about. Everyone clapped when she was done and, after waiting for Draco to dress, they all went over to Sean's and Elizabeth's larger wagon to eat their Christmas dinner of turkey with all the fixings.

Warm from good food and being with family, the whole group relaxed around the portable propane heater, content and satisfied with the world. For Draco, it was the best Christmas that he had ever had in his entire sixteen years.