Unforgettable

A Bitter Christmas

*Nyx Weasley née Malfoy above*
*Celebrate The Day by Riddle TM: Jingle Spells 3 album-playing over the radio (song obviously pertains more to Harry, but it's mostly for the holiday feel)*
Setting: afternoon of Christmas 2018; Malfoy manor, Draco's POV...

We arrive home; Scorpius shuts himself up in his room immediately, not even bothering with presents or any lunch...with Jemima gone & barely knowing my own son, I haven't gotta clue as to how to interact with him now that she's gone. Father doesn't care either way, or isn't showing that cares-if he does, he disappeared off to get to know his talk with his cousins & niece. Mother doesn't seem quiet sure what to do with herself, while Nyx is copping with cleaning & baking-despite Charlie trying & failing to get her to stop. Leo seems to have taken up pacing around while biting his nails, we're all more or less just barely keeping our wits end about us. I find myself with a glass of something strong & myself seated on the couch as my mind still tries to fully grasp the fact that she's actually gone &not coming back this time around.

"..." I glance at the family ring I had placed on the coffee table, what had she meant by it protecting us?

"Oh Leo," Mum sigh in frustration, "do stop pacing love," she goes on, "it's unsettling for grandma to watch-"

"..." he stops & just looks at mum

"Leo," I speak from where I sit on the couch, "go tell Scorpius it's time to eat..."

"..." he just nods & goes to do the temporary distraction

"Nyxie stop with your obsessive cooking and cleaning will you," I call to the kitchen where she & Charlie are, "you've made quite enough to eat already and if you clean anymore we'll all be slipping on the floors as well as unable to pick up or hold anything."

"What else would you like me to do Draco?" She starts sounding ready to breakdown

"..." I'm silent for a moment

"Would you like me to have a couple of drinks like you and father?" She says acquisitively, "lock myself away in a room like your son-whom you should be comforting...or would you like me to-"

"When've you ever known this family to be any good at comforting?" I ask her, "or have you been a Weasley for so long that you've forgotten how Malfoys' are?"

"Huh," she sneers at me, "as much as I may want to, I could never forget," she tells me, "I simply chose to embrace happiness...and so did you-"

"..." I glare at her & her response

"We all have our own way of copping with things like this dragon's breath," she mutters, "and mine is keeping my mind occupied with other things-"

"Well your way seems to have changed over the years-"

"Yes, it has," she confirms, "at one point it was hiding from everyone as I read father's books in the study," she reminds me, "then it was spending time with you, after that it became nothing more than crying alone and by myself," she goes on sounding ready to cry, "then it changed to cleaning after I got married...then cooking and baking when Leo was born, and now it's whatever project I can first get my hands on. What about you? Hm? When did your copping mechanism go from mum's arms to a glass of liquor in your hand?"

"Enough," mum finally speaks, "both of you," she sigh out, "you're giving me a headache...Leo, please go find your grandfather."

"Yes gran," he says quickly before vanishing away

"Scorpius darling," mum starts again, "sweetheart, let's go sit down and eat-"

"I'm not hungry," he says as he heads for the stairs