The Last Horcrux

Sex Talk

The Dursleys left early after extracting a promise from Dudley and Draco to come round for Christmas lunch the next day. Minerva left soon after that. Ted fell asleep in the chair by the fire. Oakley grew cranky. Sev scooped him up and carried him upstairs, reminding him that Father Christmas would not come unless he was asleep. He stood beside the little boy while he brushed his teeth, helped him into his pajamas and tucked him into his bed in the boys room.

"Father Christmas won't come until Gavin's asleep,'' Oakley protested. He rubbed his eyes, yawning.

"He'll go to sleep soon," Sev said.

"And Biscuit," Oakley reminded Sev.

"Yes," Sev agreed. "Biscuit will go to sleep soon too."

"Will Father Christmas go to Delphi's house?"

"He goes to all good little children's houses."

"How does he do it?" Oakley wondered sleepily.

"Nobody knows," Sev replied. "He does it with love."

"Sing me a song," Oakley demanded, snuggling down further under the covers, his plush broomstick clutched in his arms.

Sev never would have imagined himself as a singer of lullabies. But, strangely, now he was. He had started to sing to Oakley in the womb and had continued through nights of walking him during bouts of colic. He had never stopped. So now, he sang. He sang half remembered melodies from his own childhood, old Yiddish tunes his Grandfather had hummed in the greenhouse. He made up the words himself. He stroked the little boy's back and he sang. Soon Oakley's eyes drifted shut. He was asleep, his lashes dark against his soft cheek. Sev kissed him, and set the nightlight to rotating.

Downstairs Remus was tidying the kitchen. The house was quiet. The radio was playing softly, a jazzy tune. Outside it had started to snow.

"Where is everybody?"

"Out in the greenhouse."

"Gav and Amanda too?"

Remus shrugged. "They're growing up, Sev." Remus put his arms around him, and started dancing him slowly, around the room.

Sev wasn't much for dancing but Remus had been gradually breaking him down. He caught him at odd moments and made him dance. He guided him with gentle touches, teaching him with teasing instructions. Remus' head rested against his shoulder. The bump was pressed between them like a promise. He relaxed into the music, the moment, the unlikely happiness of it all.

"Merry Christmas," he said. He looked into Remus' eyes and kissed him.

********

Out in the greenhouse a coal fire glowed cherry red in the little pot bellied stove. Hermione and Ron had left early but everyone else sat around in broken chairs or on overturned boxes or bags of dragon dung. Dudley and Draco were smoking cigarettes, which was, Gavin guessed, the reason they'd guided the party out here. There was a pot of cocoa charmed to stay hot. Gavin noticed a bottle being passed around.

"Can I have some?" he asked saucily, watching as Harry tipped the firewhiskey into his mug of cocoa.

Draco looked him over. He seemed to be the one in charge of the whiskey. He shook his head. "No," he said, "Not until you reach puberty. Amanda can have a taste, though."

Amanda, wide eyed, held out her cup. Draco poured in a little bit. She took a sip and winced.

"Why do you like this stuff?" she asked. Everyone laughed.

Gavin curled up on the ground with his back against a bag of dragon dung. Biscuit came and joined him. He put his head in Gavin's lap, rolling over and whining until Gav scratched his belly. He listened lazily to the chatter swirling above him. It was mostly Quidditch talk and gossip. Everyone seemed relaxed and content. Amanda was perched on a broken wicker chair listening intently. Gavin knew she was excited to be included with the older ones. He noticed she kept taking little sips of her cocoa with firewhiskey. He felt sleepy and a little bored. He was very nearly drifting off when the conversation turned to something he was actually interested in.