25 Dec 1894 - Leo’s flat, London
The fire crackled in the grate, its warmth barely noticeable thanks to the warming charm constantly cast inside his flat; there was no point in trying to keep a fire going – the house elves were damn useless at times – when the charm works just as well, and he knew it was done correctly. Leo had cast it, after all. He sat at his desk, pen in hand, although the parchment before him was still blank, outside of a small black drip of paint on the corner, where he had started to write the date before changing his mind.Leo would see his family later today, as he planned to take a port key over to Paris and spend a few hours there, no matter how miserable he might be; he would be suffocated by his mother’s constant pestering for him to get married and his father’s stern talking that he needed to provide an heir. Christmas to him felt like just an ordinary day. Leo didn’t need the noises of festivities or forced proximity to a family that he had moved to England to get away from. Would his future wife expect to host holidays, a combination of both their families? God, he hoped not.
His thoughts drifted to Estelle for a moment, although Leo still couldn’t imagine the blonde woman as his wife. She was insufferable on a good day, and living with her would probably be impossible. Of course he’d purchase a better house, an estate, for space and for privacy, but somehow she’d still wind up in his vicinity. Estelle Malfoy was annoying like that. At least she seemed to be one who wouldn’t like Christmas either, and it was difficult to imagine her opening presents and offering thanks for something she thought to be hideous or useless. Hell, she’d probably scowl at the person who gave it to her. No, Estelle might be like him, finding little joy in Christmas.
Well, that gave him a thought, and maybe, just maybe, he could tempt her away from her family, if only for a few hours. She certainly wouldn’t scowl at his present. The thought itself made Leo snort as he dipped the quill back into its ink well.