mini_fest | FIC: I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus [Harry/Draco]

Title: I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus
Author/Artist:

9fn432
Pairing(s): Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy
Prompt:Pairing: Harry/Draco - Prompt: Nothing from the list – came up with this one the other day and it was just begging to be written. Based on “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”, but of course, I far prefer the boys!
Word Count: 3500
Rating: PG-13
Contains (Highlight to view): *Mild coarse language. *
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: A couple of months ago, I thought that it would be amusing if it was “I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus”. Then this little plot bunny popped in my head (with the twitchy nose and whiskers) and I had to write it. Thanks to the mods for allowing me to gate-crash with another entry at the last minute! And thanks to my lovely beta A who stepped in at the last minute again!
Summary: Harry and Draco adopt five-year-old Felicity, who has a little trouble with the unusual family dynamics in the lead-up to Christmas.

Christmas Eve

Felicity was quiet when Harry arrived to pick her up from school. She clutched her father's hand tightly with one hand, the other gripping the little red sack full of sweets and cards from her classmates and teacher. A sniffle and a hiccup made Harry stop and crouch down.

“What's the matter, Flick?” he asked gently, using the nickname that Draco hated. “Did something happen at school today?”

Felicity just bit her lip, shook her head and stared at her pink shoes.

Harry gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Can you wait here for a few minutes?” Harry asked. “I just want to have a quick word with Mrs Smith, then we can go home.”

“Okay,” she said tremulously, as a tear slipped down one cheek. Harry wiped the tear away with his thumb and stood up, turning to find Hannah.

Hannah Abbott had trained to become a primary school teacher after graduating from Hogwarts. She and Zacharias Smith had married shortly after she commenced her teaching career. At this moment, she appeared to be having a heated argument with Pansy... Harry never could keep up with her surname.

“I will not have that type of behaviour in my classroom!” she declared firmly. “Cynthia had better return next year with a different altitude or she will not be welcome at this school next term.” Pansy huffed, picked up her red-faced child and stormed out of the room.

“Everything all right, Hannah?” Harry asked, concerned.

Hannah offered him a tired smile. “Harry, I'm glad I caught you. Do you have a minute?” she asked, gesturing to her desk.

“Sure, do I need to get Felicity?” The child in question was sitting at a table in the corner sucking her thumb. This worried Harry, as they thought she had broken the habit six months ago.

“No, probably better we discuss this without her for the moment.” Hannah shuffled through some papers at her desk.

Harry began to worry. Felicity had adjusted well to school, and had never been in any major trouble, but the stress evident on Hannah's face, combined with Felicity's demeanour when he had arrived, served to increase his anxiety. “What's happened? Is Felicity in trouble?”

“Oh, good heavens, no!” Hannah reassured him. “Felicity is a delight to teach. She's well behaved and generally well liked. No, it's a little awkward actually.” She sighed. “I know she will be exposed to this when she gets older, but I didn't think this kind of prejudice would be found in the classroom so young.”

Feeling a knot forming in his stomach, Harry knew what was coming. “It's because of Draco, isn't it? Someone called him a Death Eater?”

“Yes, and no. It's nothing to do with the war,” Hannah explained. “There was a discussion during afternoon recess about Santa Claus, and Cynthia Corner said that because Felicity doesn't have a mother and a father, Santa wouldn't visit her house. She said that people with two fathers or two mothers were unnatural.”

Harry let out a deep sigh. “What happened?” He turned again to look at his dejected daughter, his heart breaking that she was already being exposed to a prejudice so young.

“Hugo stood up for Felicity. So much so that I nearly had to send for Ron or Hermione. He nearly had her in a headlock, before I could see what was going on. I'll still need to have a word with them, but Hermione dashed in and out so quickly to pick him up.”

“Yeah, she's frantic, what with Molly being ill and Christmas lunch being moved to Hermione and Ron's. Want me to tell her to Floo you?”

“Thanks, but it can wait. Hugo really was just standing up for Felicity. He's a good kid at heart, but he has some of Ron's impetuous nature.” Hannah waved as another parent left the room with their child. “Have a chat to Felicity at home. She's pretty upset, thinks that your family is somehow less because she doesn't have a mother. Give her back some of the joy of Christmas,” she encouraged. “I have a teacher's meeting now.” Hannah withdrew a candy cane from her drawer. “Wish Draco a happy Christmas from me, and give this to Felicity. It's orange flavoured, I know she doesn't like peppermint.”

“Thanks, Hannah.” Harry took the candy cane and pocketed it. “You and Zach have a good Christmas too. I'll see you next year.”

Ten minutes later, Harry and Felicity were standing outside the school, her hand again tightly gripping his. This time, Harry was holding the red velvet bag, while Felicity's other hand was occupied with the orange candy cane.
“Would you like to go to Fortescue's for an ice cream?” Harry offered, wanting to bring a smile to his daughter's face.
Felicity shook her head. “Home, please. I want to see Papa.” Harry nodded and picked her up. “Hold on tight,” he instructed, turning and apparating to Grimmauld Place.

~~~

“I can't believe that bitch!” Draco hissed as Harry pulled him into the kitchen.

“Shhhh...” Harry admonished. “She'll hear you!” He peered around the doorway to make sure Felicity was still occupied with her dinner, before moving himself and Draco further away from the door.

“But she shouldn't have to put up with that crap anywhere, Harry, and Pansy should know better than to teach her kid about prejudice. And who the hell does she think she is, judging whether we're family? She's been through more husbands than Zabini's mother!”

“That's an exaggeration, and you know it. Look, we can address this more effectively later, but for the time being, how about we try and do something to prove that Santa knows we're a family. We can get her to put out milk and biscuits for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer.”

Draco grinned, reaching for a high cupboard. “I’ve got just the thing.”

An hour and a half later, Felicity was bathed and settled into bed. Harry had read two chapters of Watership Down, and was about to tuck her into bed.

“Felicity,” Draco called from the doorway. “Did you forget something?” He was holding a red plate and a glass of milk. On the plate were three cookies and four carrots.

The expression of distress on Felicity’s face was heartbreaking. “Papa, Santa won’t come to our house.”

“Flick, we talked about this,” Harry said gently. “Cynthia Corner doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Santa doesn’t care if you have a mummy and daddy, two mummies or two daddies, or even three parents. Santa will visit our house, he will visit Sage and Angel’s house, even though they have Luna, Dean and Seamus as parents.” He turned her blankets back. “Come on, let’s put the food and milk near the tree.”

Felicity still looked conflicted, but she clambered out of bed, put on her slippers and trudged out with Harry and Draco to the parlour. “Here,” Draco offered her the plate. “Where should we put this?”

She sighed, but took the red plate, and then the glass of milk. Harry could tell she was humouring them, but she placed the items carefully on the coffee table near the Christmas tree. “Can I go to bed now, Daddy? Papa?” Harry and Draco looked at each other, their hearts aching for their daughter.

Draco picked her up and carried her back to bed. “Santa will come tonight, don’t worry your pretty head about it.” He placed her in her bed and pulled up the covers, tucking her in. Draco placed a soft kiss on the top of her head, stroking back the dark brown curls.

Harry leaned down and kissed Felicity on the cheek. “Sleep well, Flick. And if you’re really quiet, maybe you’ll hear the reindeer landing on the roof.” He gave her a wink, maintaining a smile while hiding his distress. Draco wrapped an arm around Harry and they both walked to the door. “Good night, love,” Harry whispered, then twitched his wand. “Nox.”

Felicity clutched her stuffed dragon toy tight to her chest. Life had been wonderful when Harry and Draco adopted her in March. When she was two, her parents had been killed by some rogue Death Eaters trying to evade capture. There were still so many orphans after the war that she spent the next two-and-a-bit years of her life in an orphanage. She didn't really remember her birth parents, but Harry and Draco had been good to her and she had settled into their unusual family quickly.

School had been interesting to start with; most of the children in her class accepted her without question, though she was sometimes excluded because she had been an orphan. Mrs Smith had worked quickly to stop that behaviour from Cynthia Corner and Harrison Flint. Today, however, was the first time anyone had questioned the validity of her family, and Felicity fretted that she would miss out, because she didn't have real parents.

She could hear Daddy and Papa whispering outside her door, knowing they were worried for her. Felicity pulled her pillow over her head and cried quietly, wanting Christmas to be over.

Twenty minutes later, Felicity sat up with a start. Something was on the roof; she could hear a faint jingle, and some clip-clop noises, along with heavy footfalls. Snow showered down past her window. Could it really be?

She quietly slid out of bed, pulled on her dressing gown and stuffed her feet into her white bunny slippers. The noses and whiskers on the slippers twitched and trembled. “Shhhh… ” she murmured, then felt silly for talking to her slippers. Felicity quietly crept to her bedroom door and peeked out into the hallway. The light was dimmed for the night, and the door to her parents' room was shut. Unsure whether to proceed, she lingered at the door, until a loud whooshing sound convinced her that someone was in the parlour.

If only she could do magic; Felicity had managed a few accidental spells when she was particularly joyful or angry, but she didn't have a wand yet. Steeling herself, Felicity pulled her door open just wide enough to squeeze through. The hallway was empty, but she pressed herself flat to the wall, and shuffled towards the parlour, unaware that she was being watched by a concealed figure at the end of the hall.

Wide-eyed, Felicity tilted her head and peered around the door to the parlour, convinced she would see nothing. She was barely able to stifle a gasp when she saw a very fat man, in a very red suit, leaning over a pile of presents at the bottom of the Christmas tree. The man was muttering as he dug through a big red sack at his feet. “Harry… Draco… ” he mumbled, pulling boxes out of the sack. “Ah, Felicity!” he beamed, withdrawing three wrapped gifts and placing them under the tree. “Such a good little girl.”

Felicity was shaking with excitement. She had seen Santa! Cynthia Corner was wrong, and Daddy and Papa were right! She watched as Santa tied up his sack of gifts, before turning and taking the biscuits she had left out. He drank the milk after eating the sweet treats, smacking his lips as drops of white liquid dribbled down his snowy white beard.

Deciding she had seen enough, Felicity crept back down the hallway and slipped into her bedroom door. She was still trembling, and now felt silly for not believing Daddy and Papa's reassurances. Another sound in the hallway caught her interest, so she peeked through the gap in the door. Suddenly Daddy was standing there, holding his invisibility cloak. Felicity supposed that Daddy probably wanted to make sure Santa made it after all, until she saw Santa come out of the parlour and push Daddy back against the wall.

Daddy was kissing Santa Claus? Felicity blinked and rubbed her eyes. Surely she was dreaming. Her eyes widened when she saw Daddy kiss Santa on the nose, smack him on the bum and send him back into the parlour. He then started toward her bedroom; not wanting to be caught, Felicity dashed into bed, forgetting to take off her slippers and dressing gown. She dived under the covers and did her best impression of snoring. With her eyes closed, she missed the fond look on Harry's face when he checked on her. She also missed Draco sliding his arms around Harry, resting his chin on Harry's shoulder.

~~~

Christmas day dawned bright and cold, and Harry and Draco were woken by a jubilant Felicity jumping on their bed. “Daddy! Papa! It's Christmas!”

Draco groaned; he had never been a morning person, and having an exuberant five-year-old jump on your bladder was not the way he preferred to be woken. Harry, however, had embraced fatherhood, and grabbed Felicity around the waist, tickling her mercilessly. “Happy Christmas, Flick!” Felicity squealed with laughter, squirming and wriggling in Harry's arms, a flailing leg barely missing a very sensitive spot on Draco's body. “Come on, wriggle-pot. Let's get some tea and toast while Papa wakes up.”

“Coffee,” Draco demanded in a sleepy voice, pulling a pillow over his head.

Twenty minutes later, a sleep rumpled Draco shuffled into the parlour, reaching out for the hot mug of coffee Harry held out to him. Harry had the fire going merrily in the fireplace, and Felicity was staring wide-eyed at the pile of presents under the tree. “Daddy? Papa? Did you know Santa came last night?”

Harry smiled fondly at Felicity, then winked at Draco. “I told you he would, didn't I? Cynthia Corner doesn't know what she's talking about!”

Another hour later and the parlour looked like a bomb had hit it. Wrapping paper was strewn everywhere, and Felicity was busy playing with her junior potions kit in the corner, her training broom and snitch discarded when she realised there was no way she would be allowed to use it inside. “We can take the broom and snitch to the Burrow,” Harry had cajoled, heading off a five-year-old tantrum. “You can show it to Teddy and Hugo, but remember Rose is too young to ride a broom.”

Felicity had pouted when she was told that Rose wouldn't be allowed to fly, but Draco had soon distracted her with the potions kit.

After a hearty breakfast they dressed warmly and Flooed to the Burrow, Felicity held in Draco's arms. Molly greeted them and quickly shooed them out of the kitchen. Felicity made a beeline for Victoire, Hugo and Teddy, who were playing in the lounge. Harry and Draco went to wish Ron and Hermione a happy Christmas. Hermione was cradling Rose, who was only six months old. Ginny was hovering near her niece, while Neville was deep in conversation with Arthur.

Unfortunately, Harry and Draco's hope for a peaceful Christmas at the Burrow dashed after lunch, when they heard Felicity start to sob loudly. “Vicky, shut up!” Teddy said loudly. “Look what you've done!”

“Well Uncle Harry shouldn't be kissing strange men!” Victoire declared haughtily, stomping off to find Bill and Fleur.
Teddy and Hugo tried to comfort their cousin, but she was inconsolable. They looked looked helplessly up at their Uncle Harry, who hurried over to find out what was wrong.

“Victoire told her that you and Uncle Draco were getting a divorce, because she saw you kissing another man,” Teddy explained, while Felicity buried her face in Harry's shoulder.

Harry's brow furrowed in confusion. “She saw me kissing another man?”

“You kissed Santa!” Felicity blubbered into his neck. “I don't want to go back to the orphanage,” she cried pitifully. “I like it with you and Papa. Please don't make me go back!”

“What's going on?” Draco asked, approaching them warily.

Harry sighed, rubbing Felicity's back. “She saw me… and Santa… kissing last night in the hallway.” He glared at Ron who was fighting the urge to laugh. Hermione gave Ron an elbow in the ribs for good measure. “Victoire told her that we would be getting a divorce because I kissed another man.”

Draco's mouth opened and closed. A smirk pulled at his lips, but he hastily rearranged his expression into one of seriousness when Harry turned his glare from Ron to Draco. “Ah,” he offered finally.

“Boys!” Hermione declared with a huff. “Leave it with me.” She took Felicity from Harry. “Come on, Flick, let's us girls go and have a chat and get this all sorted, okay?”

Felicity sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “Okay,” she agreed, hiccupping. She scowled when Victoire was instructed to join them, but said nothing, letting Hermione take them both into the kitchen.

Harry and Draco went in search of Teddy and Hugo to thank them for standing up for Felicity.

Twenty minutes later, Hermione carried a much happier Felicity out to the lounge. “I think this one is ready to try out her new broom,” she said with a grin. “Teddy, you ready to show Flick some tricks?”
Draco rolled his eyes at the nickname. “Her name is Felicity,” he grumbled. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s get you rugged up to do some flying outside.” Draco took his daughter from Hermione’s arms and carried her to the guest room where he had stowed her things.

“Is she all right?” Harry asked Hermione as Draco took Felicity from the room.

“She’s fine. Fleur is having a word with Victoire. I managed to protect Santa’s identity, and your virtue at the same time,” Hermione winked at Harry. “Let’s go outside and watch the kids. Molly has Rose, and I could do with some fresh air.” She shrugged on her coat. “I’ll tell you later,” she assured Harry when he raised a questioning eyebrow.

Draco and Felicity returned, bundled up in wool coats, scarves and gloves, Felicity wearing a red and white striped hat over her curly hair. She held her training broom in her right hand, the left one clinging tightly to Draco’s larger gloved hand. Excitement and a small amount of fear glimmered in her eyes.

Teddy and Hugo thundered down the stairs with Teddy's larger larger training broom. They were similarly clad to Draco, and soon the motley group were huddled outside, watching Teddy show Felicity and Hugo the ropes as they took turns. Draco stood behind Harry, arms wrapped around his middle, watching the little girl who had so blessed their lives discover the joy of flying, albeit only about a foot off the ground.

~~~

“Did you have a good Christmas?” Harry asked, tucking Felicity into the bed next to Victoire.

Felicity yawned, covering her little mouth with her hand. “Yes,” she mumbled after the yawn.

Harry smiled, smoothing back her hair. He kissed her gently on the forehead. “And now you know that Santa comes to everyone’s house.”

She nodded soberly. “And I know that you and Papa aren’t getting a divorce, and I don’t have to go to the orphanage, and we can be a family forever and forever and forever.”

“Yes, forever and forever and forever. Good night, Flick. Grandma Molly will look after you in the morning. Papa and I will come and get you after lunch, all right?”

“All right,” she said seriously. “Daddy, I love you.”

Harry swallowed, his chest feeling a little tight. “I love you too, baby girl. And Papa loves you. Sleep well.”

~~~

“So what did you tell her?” Harry asked over mulled cider later in the evening. The children were all tucked up in bed, staying at the Burrow for the night, allowing Harry and Draco, Ron and Hermione, and Bill and Fleur, a welcome night off. Bill and Fleur had already left; Harry, Draco, Ron and Hermione were enjoying a last drink before they parted ways.

Hermione gave a mysterious smile over the rim of her glass. “I said that Santa doesn't like to be spied on by grown-ups. He uses a special type of Obliviate on them, but it only works by kissing.”

Harry and Draco blinked at Hermione for a moment, then Draco snorted. “Clever, however I'm glad there was no obliviation, I don't want Harry forgetting what he did with Santa last night!” He laughed when Harry swatted his arm playfully.

“I think I need an Obliviate, 'Mione,” Ron said plaintively. “Reckon Mrs Claus can do some of that magic?” Hermione just grinned and snuggled into Ron's embrace.

“Well, I'm glad that Santa doesn't discriminate, and I'm glad no one will be getting a divorce, and no little girls need to go back to the orphanage!” Harry declared happily. “When I put Flick to bed, she said we’d be a family forever and forever and forever. I know we were a little unsure about adopting a child who was as old as Flick, but she’s really our daughter now.” Draco nodded, his free hand stroking Harry’s thigh. Harry raised his glass. “Here's to friends, family, and the joys of parenthood.”

“Hear hear!” They all clinked glasses, and drank to the toast Harry made.

Fin