Harry cuddled back up to Rabastan and held him tightly, uncaring of the odd jut of bones under his hands as he tilted his head back for a kiss to the mouth. Lucius cleared his throat and Harry grinned as he pulled his mouth away from Rabastan's. "He doesn't deserve a crest of our family." Rhadamanthus declared. Harry had been wondering when he was going to butt in and try to ruin everything. "They are not even engaged! He is not a member of our family."
"Yet." Harry said loudly and sharply to Rhadamanthus before turning back to Rabastan. "I love it, Rabastan. I'm not going to take it off unless I absolutely have to."
Rabastan grinned at him and they laced their fingers together before turning back to the room at large as Lucius gave out more presents. For Harry, nothing beat the pendant he'd been given, especially not the atrocious gift that Rhadamanthus had given him, being forced to give him a gift merely because social etiquette demanded it.
He'd thanked Rhadamanthus for the female lingerie set and turned the man's face almost purple by promising to wear it for Rabastan on their wedding night as he took it from the box to show everyone what he'd been given. Xerxes had roared with laughter and Rodolphus had been forced to thump Rabastan on the back after the poor man had almost choked on an inhaled sip of water.
Harry had shared a grin with Draco and winked at his brother before snuggling into a calmed Rabastan and enjoying his Christmas morning with his family. Of course, things would have been better and much nicer without Rhadamanthus there sneering and making snide comments, but he knew that he couldn't have everything his own way.
Christmas lunch had been tense with Rhadamanthus dining with them, but Harry ignored him as best as he could, as much as polite socialism allowed at least. He filled up on goose, pheasant, vegetables and potatoes and then retired back to the family drawing room. He and Draco started a game of chess and Harry's good mood steadily evaporated. He'd gotten better at chess since he'd spent time playing against Ron, but he was still no match for Draco.
"I win again." Draco said smugly.
"I don't want to play anymore." Harry huffed.
"Why not?" Draco demanded as he set the board back up. "You're getting better. Slowly."
Rabastan shifted over to sit next to him and he picked up the first white pawn and moved it. Harry grinned and settled back against his betrothed and watched Draco make his move.
Harry made the next move after looking to Rabastan for direction and he was much happier as he and Rabastan played together against Draco.
They still lost, much to Draco's smug satisfaction, but Harry couldn't bring himself to care about that as he and Rabastan had had so much fun laughing and strategising together.
The pendant around his neck was a warm weight that he couldn't stop playing with and every couple of minutes he would lift his hand to touch it, to play with it as he rubbed it with his thumb, feeling the contrast between the very precious black sapphire and the equally precious solid gold. He would have loved it all the same if it had been made from aluminium and glass. It was the thought behind the gift that made it so precious, so sentimental to him. It was a symbol of the love that Rabastan couldn't voice and it was a symbol of their coming engagement. The Lestranges were welcoming him into their family and it was a promise, mihi parta tueri, Rabastan wouldfight for him. Rabastan was telling him without words that he wanted to marry him and he would have had to ask Xerxes for permission to give him anything with the Lestrange crest on it as the current Head of the House Lestrange. Xerxes was welcoming him into the family too by giving his permission for the pendant to carry the Lestrange crest and Harry loved the feeling of acceptance he was getting from having the pendant around his neck. He raised his hand to touch it again and he couldn't hold back the grin.
Rabastan saw him and his arm wrapped around his hips and squeezed. He didn't trust himself to hold around his chest because of his bruised ribs, so he'd started holding around his hips instead. Harry loved the thought behind the action and he sneaked a look around subtly before darting in to peck Rabastan's lips.
His betrothed laughed so happily that it drew everyone else's attention as Harry sat right beside him, grinning so happily and holding Rabastan's hands.
"I love you." Harry whispered to him as he stared at Rabastan's face and into those dark blue eyes that he loved so very much, but were the reason that Rhadamanthus loathed his own son.
"I hope our baby has your eyes." Rabastan told him and it was Harry's turn to laugh.
"I was just thinking that your eyes were so very beautiful." He told his betrothed. "I want our children to have your eyes."
"We'll compromise. Half of them will take your breathtaking eyes and half will take mine." Rabastan said with a grin as if they had any sort of control over those sorts of things, but Harry still chuckled.
"Deal." He agreed, pausing for a moment before thinking of something. "They're all going to have brown eyes now." He laughed. "All of your family have brown eyes and my dad had brown eyes too."
Rabastan pulled gently on his hair. "You've gone and cursed it now." He told him and Harry laughed yet again. "What are you two giggling so hysterically about?" Draco demanded.
"Our future children's eye colour." Harry told his adoptive brother. "Rabastan wants all our children to have my eyes, but I want our children to have his blue…we compromised and then realised we'd cursed all our future children to have brown eyes, like Rodolphus."
"And just what is wrong with my eye colour?" Rodolphus demanded.
"Nothing." Harry insisted. "If you like tree bark and mud." He mumbled under his breath to Rabastan, who laughed in surprise.
"What was that?" Rodolphus narrowed his eyes.
"Nothing! Nothing!" Harry placated as he shifted closer to Rabastan and buried his face in his betrothed's chest so he could hide his grin and muffle his laughter.
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