Blue Yule

"Bue!" Severus toddled across the floor as fast as his little legs would carry him. The enormous pile of presents under the fairy-lit tree, wrapped in hues ranging from aqua to midnight, was a lure few one-year-olds could resist.

"Oh, no, you don't, little man," drawled Draco as he levitated an especially tempting box topped with a sparkly silver bow out of his son's sticky peppermint reach. "Your mummy will have my head on a platter if her flawless tableau is ruined." He scooped Sev up into his arms.

Severus's chubby little hands grasped for a navy velvet bow in vain, and he pushed at his father's chest with tiny fists, his brow furrowed in frustration.

"Bue, Dada! Bue! Bue!"

Draco dropped a kiss on his forehead and carried him out of the room. "Let's go up to the nursery where crazy Mummy can't find us, and play Snitch-a-Roo with Mipsy, shall we?"

It wasn't really a joke...his wife was obsessed with making Severus's first Christmas absolutely perfect, down to the coordinated gift wrap that was Sev's favourite colour...but his son gurgled with laughter and clapped his grubby hands in delight. Then Severus wrapped his arms around his Dada's neck, giving him a sticky-wet peppermint kiss.

"Sich! Sich! A Wooo!" He yodeled in glee.

***dm**hgm**sm***

Hermione walked briskly into the drawing room, consulting one of her infamous and infinite lists, Mrs. Clemson at her side.

"...And after brunch, we'll serve cocoa, coffee and tea here in the drawing room with a selection of sweets before opening the presents," she continued, marking off an item on one list and then shuffling the sheaf of parchment in her hands.

Mrs. Clemson rolled her eyes while her employer wasn't looking, but schooled her features to neutrality before answering. "Yes, madam."

She was extremely fond of the Malfoys, who treated her like a member of the family, but she was very close to slipping a Calming Draught into Mrs. Malfoy's morning tea. The young mother was on the brink of a nervous breakdown with all her lists, colour-coding and insistence on perfection.

Hermione gasped in dismay, and Mrs. Clemson was jolted from her reverie.

Oh, for Merlin's sake. What now?

"That man thinks he's so funny!" Hermione muttered, stomping over to the tree.

The presents underneath the branches, attractively stacked around the low basin of moist dirt keeping the tree alive, were a uniformly deep Slytherin green trimmed with grey ribbon. She looked over at Mrs. Clemson, who tsked and made a moue of disapproval...though secretly she was tickled pink.

Hermione flicked her wand at the offending wrap. "Finite Incantatem," she intoned, nodding her head in satisfaction as the packages reverted to their original hues.

"Now, Mrs. Clemson," she said, turning to her housekeeper. "Shall we go over the brunch menu again?" She led the way to the kitchen, Mrs. Clemson following reluctantly behind.

***dm**hgm**sm***

"Sev? Where are you?" Draco ducked his head into the study. Empty.

"Severus!" He walked-ran down the hall, glancing through doorways into quiet rooms.

He'd only taken his eye off his son for a moment, to help Mipsy find a particularly stubborn Snitch-A-Roo. But a moment was all it took these days with Sev, who...Draco could swear on his Gringott's vault...learned to fly before he could walk.

Draco's mentor would have been proud of his little namesake, indeed.

He heard a gurgle of laughter and stopped suddenly, holding his wand aloft. "Point me," he intoned. His wand twitched west, tugging him along to the drawing room.

"There you are!" Draco exclaimed with some relief.

Severus turned to his father with a grin on his face.

"Bue! Bue!" He chortled, pointing at the tree.

Several streaks of chocolate decorated his chin and cheeks. He'd clearly made a beeline for the candy dish on the sofa table before plopping down in front of the forbidden presents. Draco crouched next to him, noticing the brown smudges on various orange-covered boxes with a cringe. He dearly hoped a softened Scourgify would...wait. Orange?

His wife was most definitely off her proverbial rocker if she thought he'd allow the Weasel's favourite colour to adorn his son's presents. Perhaps Mrs. Clemson would consider putting a Calming Draught in his beloved's morning tea? Irritated, he flicked his wand at the boxes, and watched in relieved satisfaction as the chocolate stains dissolved away and the gifts reverted to their original hues.

The blasted witch is lucky I love her, he thought. I would have much preferred a deep Slytherin green.

"Come on, little man," he said to Sev, hoisting him up onto his back. "You can ride your hippogriff up to a good scrubbing and a nap before Nana and Papa come to visit."

"I wide!" Severus chortled, pulling on his Dada's hair. "Gwiff! Go! Bue!" He wrinkled his nose at the gifts as Draco galloped out of the room.

***dm**hgm**sm***

"Mum! Dad!" Hermione hugged each of her parents in turn. "I'm so glad you're here. Draco's just waking Severus up from his nap. Let's have drinks in the drawing room while we're waiting for them to come down." She led them in and, making sure they were comfortable, crossed to the drinks trolley situated in the far corner.

"Gin and tonic, right, Dad?" At his nod, she fixed his drink. "Pimm's for you, Mum?"

Her mother nodded absentmindedly. "Lovely, darling." She gestured at the sparkling tree and the gifts under it, which were wrapped in deep reds and golds. "Has Draco seen the presents yet? I'm not sure he will appreciate your colour choices." Her eyes twinkled with merriment.

Hermione deposited the drinks on the sofa table with a thunk. "Really, this is too much. Obviously, he'd rather not sleep on the Chesterfield tonight." Her parents observed her agitation with concerned curiosity. "We agreed on blue wrapping, since it's Sev's favourite. But I came in here earlier, and everything was swathed in Slytherin green trimmed with grey ribbons!" Her eyes welled with frustrated tears.

Her parents exchanged a look laden with meaning. Their son-in-law had not been exaggerating by half. Helene Granger patted the empty cushion between herself and Stephen. When Hermione sat down, her parents each wrapped an arm around her.

"Take a deep breath, muffin," Stephen said, smiling as his daughter let out a long, shuddering sigh.

"The wrap colour doesn't matter, darling," Helene murmured. "You will hardly remember it. What you will cherish is the expression on your son's face as he rips open a box to reveal the teddy bear his grandparents bought for him."

She leaned against her mum's shoulder. "I know, it's just that..."

"Life is not perfect, muffin, and you don't have to be, either. Draco and Sev, we all love you the way you are...lists and all," said Stephen, hugging her close.

"I think Mrs. Clemson wants to dose my morning tea with Calming Draught," Hermione muttered into her father's chest.

"She loves you too. Who do you think invited us to dinner?" asked her mother.

"Draco said..." Hermione started.

"I caught Mrs. Clemson Owling your parents on Monday," Draco drawled as he entered the room carrying Sev. As soon as he set him down, Severus toddled over to the couch and crawled onto Stephen's lap.

"Papa!" Severus patted his grandpa's face fondly. "Bue!" he yodeled, pointing at the gifts.

Draco eyed the crimson and gold gifts, then gazed at his wife with amused exasperation. "I know you like to change your mind, Moh, but I'm not any more keen on your House colours than I am on Chudley Cannons orange."

"But Slytherin green would be acceptable?" she asked, rising to stand in front of him. "And...orange?" She shuddered. "Not in my house, thank you very much. That's Ron's thing."

"Won! Won!" Severus cried, wrinkling his nose in glee. Ron was his favourite honorary uncle. "Bue!"

Helene and Stephen gasped. Draco and Hermione turned to see the presents under the tree shimmer as they changed in hue, a veritable rainbow of colours embellishing each box in polka dots, swirls and stripes.

"But I thought you..." Draco and Hermione said together in surprise. Their eyes filled with tears of laughter and joy.

"His first magic," Hermione murmured as Draco hugged her close.

"It's perfect," Draco said, giving her a tender kiss.

"Bue!" yelled Severus, wrinkling his nose. The gifts shimmered again, and reverted to their original hues.

~~*~fin~*~

***dm**hgm**sm***

A/N: Originally written for the dramione_advent Live Journal community (prompt: wrapping paper)

I TOTALLY deserve a lump of coal in my stocking this year, because I forgot to thank corianderpie for the awesomely thorough beta on the comm post. ~sigh~

You rock my socks (and commas, and dangling participles, and...) off, babycakes.