Half-Blood Ginger (HP Fanfic)

Chap 21: Christmas

|2000|

          |Leilani|

       The months passed, it was now Christmas. Little Kastor had just turned four. Artimis is a year old now. She will never know her daddy like I had. I had taken my children to live at Malfoy Manor. My father, brother and Narcissa. I had wanted to spend Christmas early with my family, so I could head to the Burrow.

"Happy Christmas, baby." Father says, he kissed my forehead.

"Happy Christmas, Father." I smiled.

"Mummy, where's daddy?" Little Kastor asked me.

"He's--"

"Come on, Kastor, open your presents." Father got my son distracted from the situation.

"Thank you, Grandpa!" He says as he opened a box. A muggle toy. A kite.

"Daddy, you didn't have to" I tried to convince my father of his gifts. "K--as-- does not need a kite. He's too young to have it." Father turned to me, eyes wide. 

"You should be happy, Leilani. He has no idea what has happened to you and he needs a Christmas to remember. I except you to know that." Father had his eyes set on my son.

"I must be going. Harry and everyone are waiting for me." My son looked at me. "I'll be back. Play with Uncle Draco and Grandpa." My son nods and sat in Father's lap.

I used the Floo Network to the Burrow. I landed on the ground of the Weasley's kitchen.

"Lani, you could never land properly after traveling in the Floo." Harry says as he helps me up. "Happy Christmas Lei." He kissed my cheek.

"Happy Christmas, Harry." I kissed his cheek. Big arms wrap around me, it was Charlie. "Charlie-Bear!!" He kissed my cheek and forehead.

"My little sister. The older and wiser one. Don't tell Ginny." He looked at my face. "You're beautiful, Lei."

"Thank you, Charlie-Bear." His face shrunk. "What's the matter?"

"The nickname, Leilani. I must be too old for it, I suppose." I laugh as he made a face.

"Leilani!" Billy's voice sounded as he came from the backyard.

"Billy!" He wraps me in hug. "Happy Christmas, little sister." He kissed my cheek. "Where's Little Kastor?" He looked around the room.

"I thought it was best to leave him this time with my father and Draco. He would have not been happy with no one to play with." I thought of Kastor. My eyes welded up in tears.

Charlie wraps his arm around me. "Sh, it's alright, Leilani." He kissed the top of my head. "Come. Let's sit." I sat in his lap with my legs on Billy's lap. "Lei-Lei," his old nickname for me. "it's Christmas. Why must you cry?"

"K-a--" I could not say his name. I kept crying.

"It hadn't what I said, did it?" I shook my head. "Lani, you must tell us." Billy had whispered something in Charlie's ear. "Lani, I hadn't known! I am sorry."

"Thank you, Charlie-Bear." I wrap my arms around his neck.

Molly came in, noticed me in her son's lap. "Merlin, Leilani, you must think the world of him if you keep sitting on his lap." She walks into the kitchen.

"Mum! Oi! Dragons are quieter than her." He whispered in my ear.

"Charlie, you know not to say things like that!" I joked.

After lunch, we opened presents. George was better since the war, he talked and hang around. Percy was still himself as usual. Ronald was himself. Ginny, the only Weasley girl and best one of the lot. Don't tell them I said that. Billy and Fleur had a daughter in May. Victorie. Charlie, still the dragon loving boy and tamer.

Molly had gotten me a Weasley jumper, red with a gold L. Billy had gotten me a photo album. What! The oldest three Weasleys and I looked through the book. Photos I hadn't seen in years. Billy said McGonagall found them in Dumbledore's office desk. And he put them in a album. There was one of me at three years old with Billy holding me in the snow. Another one with Billy and Charlie in Hogsmeade. One of the three lot of us when I was seven or eight.

After sometime, I had other presents to open. Charlie gotten me a a dragon's breath necklace, different than when I turned eleven. It was a Hungarian Horntail, the dragon Harry fought in fourth year. George gotten me new things from the joke shop for my son and a love potion. Molly had taken it off my hand before I started to cry. I knew why. Kastor.

"I honestly do not know why you should be giving this to anyone. Especially, Leilani. She has not need things like this, George! Not at a time like this." Molly scolded him.

I had already been in Charlie's lap, crying against his chest and Billy holding my hand.

"Mum, she's already crying." Charlie told Molly.

The gifts continued. Ginny gotten me quills, books, and a dress for Artimis. Harry gotten me a photo frame of us in first year, some chocolates, and a necklace. Ronald gave me some chocolates. Mione gotten me some new books. Molly had gotten my son a small Weasley jumper, blue with a silver K. And a tiny dress for Artimis.

I said goodbye to the Weasleys and Hermione. Harry had taken me home after I had gathered my presents. We used the Floo. We landed in the fireplace in Malfoy Manor.

"Leilani." Draco says as he looked up from the couch. "You've been gone so long, Kastor had gotten tired of playing with Father and I."

He noticed Harry, a bag in his hand and looked over at me. "Harry." He came and handed me the will that Kastor had written. "Kingsley brought it over while you were gone. Manor is in your name and he says you can use it anyway until Little Kastor is old enough."

"Thank you, Drake."

"I must be going." Harry says, as the moment Narcissa came down the stairs with my son.

"Mummy!" My son ran to me and I held him in my arms.

~~~~ ~~~~~

Drake had decided to throw a Christmas Party at the Manor. All our friends invited. These are the times, I missed Kastor. I must want him here. He isn't here. My son asked for him, but I said he was busy. I hadn't decided to tell my son the truth.

The party had been great for awhile. I danced with my brothers. Theodore and Gregory. Neville and Dean. Seamus and Ronald. Ginny and I hung around watching others dance.

Sometime later, I hadn't felt good and I broke down in tears. Neville comforted me. Drake got angry and pulled me away from Neville.

"Stop it, Drake! I have a right to do what I want. You do not have to come to my rescue. Neville is a friend, honestly. I don't care really, though I must say for someone hadn't cared for the things he did." I tore his sleeve off and it showed his Dark Mark. Tears were out. "Everyone since your aunt found me going to my eoom, I have been scared of being here and I've feared for myself." He held me in his arms.

"I am sorry, Lei."

"It's alright, Drake." I look up. "I have been thinking of changing my name officially to Malfoy. Kingsley said it was alright. The Manor is still in my name." Drake kissed my cheek and whirled me around.

Harry and our friends congratulated me as the news went around from Ginny.

"Lani, you must decide to do with the manor. Live in it or wait til Little Kastor is old enough to live in it himself."

"I do not know. All I know it will be Little Kastor when he's older. As of the next few years, I do not know."

He kissed my cheek. "You know what to do."