"It should have been you who hit him." Rodolphus told his brother.
"I thought it was more important to check on Harry." Rabastan answered his brother immediately.
"Besides, you did a fantastic job." Harry told Rodolphus with a grin. "I heard his nose break and I had a wonderful view of his eyes rolling up into the back of his head when your fist connected with his face. I think it was best to leave that to you when you so obviously enjoyed it, while I enjoyed having Rabastan's hands on me."
Xerxes laughed and placed a hand on Harry's head for a moment, his thumb moved in a stroke before it was gone and Harry felt so accepted, so loved that his heart swelled with it. He felt that he'd finally found his place in the world, that he'd found his own little niche to thrive and grow in and he loved it so much. Lucius repaired his shirt and his robes with an easy flick of his wand and very soon after that they found themselves in the drawing room, cups of hot chocolate in hand, or in Lucius and Xerxes' cases tumblers of Firewhiskey, and Harry was curled up, resting himself on Rabastan, who was playing with his soft, potion-styled hair.
Lucius had checked his chest as he changed from his dress robes into pyjamas and he had been right, just a bruise that was going to come out in a wonderful starburst of colour soon, but nothing more serious than that. Harry had swallowed a pain reliever and currently, he was feeling very, very good as he cuddled with Rabastan. Though he knew that very soon, likely as soon as tomorrow, they'd have to sit down and seriously sort out their thoughts and feelings. He wanted this to work, he needed this relationship to work because he wanted it so very badly because he loved Rabastan so much. They needed to talk to one another and they needed to sort out their damn feelings before they had any hope of progressing, but, as he looked up at Rabastan, who was gazing softly at him with his fingers still massaging his scalp, Harry was very, very hopeful.
Last Time
Lucius had checked his chest as he changed from his dress robes into pyjamas and he had been right, just a bruise that was going to come out in a wonderful starburst of colour soon, but nothing more serious than that. Harry had swallowed a pain reliever and currently, he was feeling very, very good as he cuddled with Rabastan. Though he knew that very soon, likely as soon as tomorrow, they'd have to sit down and seriously sort out their thoughts and feelings. He wanted this to work, he needed this relationship to work because he wanted it so very badly because he loved Rabastan so much. They needed to talk to one another and they needed to sort out their damn feelings before they had any hope of progressing, but as he looked up at Rabastan, who was gazing softly at him with his fingers still massaging his scalp, Harry was very, very hopeful.
Harry didn't remember how he'd gotten to bed last night. He must have fallen asleep on Rabastan and been floated up to his bed as he just didn't remember, but he'd woken up tucked up in his bed, well-rested and cosy, though his chest was aching a bit.
He made it down to breakfast with a grimace of pain only to find a pain reliever already waiting for him, which he shot back immediately in one large swallow. He groaned happily as it worked within a minute to ease away the aching pain in his chest.
"Do you hurt terribly?" Rabastan asked him, looking unhappy at the thought. "No, it wasn't really painful, it's a horrible ache more than anything, but it was more painful when I breathed in. This helps a lot to ease my breathing."
"You made an utter fool out of yourself." Rhadamanthus informed him scathingly. "You assaulted a prominent, powerful pureblood and threw yourself at another like a mudblood whore. You're disgusting."
It was, of course, too much to ask for that Rhadamanthus had gotten drunk at the winter gala and fallen into one of those damn ice sculptures and killed himself, or even just fucking stayed at the Parkinson's, but, of course, he was here being his easily loathable self for breakfast.
"You're just upset because you missed everything." Harry told him tonelessly, not even looking at him as he poured Rabastan another glass of water before filling his own glass and plate up so that he could have breakfast.
Rhadamanthus flushed horribly as he had missed all the drama last night. He had been meeting with a few of his associates, but he had been well informed of what had happened when they'd returned to the gala. Healers had been called to escort Rowle to the hospital and it had been all anyone could talk about for the rest of the night. Though, most of them had been gossiping easily about how the young and handsome Lord Potter-Black had put Lord Rowle in his place after the older man had insulted and then physically attacked him. That pissed him off too, that they were all so enamoured with the boy.
Harry spoke softly to Rabastan as he ate his breakfast and he was very happy that he and Rabastan were back to how they were before they'd had their fight. Their disagreement had lasted for a mere day. If all of their fights would last that long and be resolved so quickly then Harry was certain that they'd have a wonderful future together, because he wasn't so utterly naïve as to believe that they'd never have another fight or argument again in the future.
"Merry Christmas." Rabastan whispered to him softly.
Harry smiled widely as he realised that yes, today was actually Christmas Day.
"Merry Christmas, Rabastan."
Draco had told him how today would progress and breakfast was always first. After they'd eaten then they would reconvene to the family drawing room and exchange gifts. Then they'd have Christmas lunch and then there would be wine and cheeses set up in the drawing room where they'd stay and talk until they'd eventually leave and retire to bed.
It all seemed very formal to Harry, but then, he had never really had a normal Christmas before. He'd been locked in a cupboard for Christmas during most of his childhood and on others, mostly when he was at Hogwarts, it had been spent lounging around the castle or encroaching on the Weasley's Christmas.
This…being here with the Malfoys and with Rabastan, who would one day become his husband, it felt like he had his own family, like he was accepted and a part of everything and not just there because he had nowhere else to go. It felt amazing.
His excitement grew as he thought of the gifts that he'd bought for everyone. He'd been told by Draco that only one gift per person was acceptable etiquette, so Harry had stuck to that, though he couldn't see himself sticking to such formal rules when he had his own home and his own children.
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