A/N: This fic just popped into my head when I was in the shower and I had to write it. It’s a one-shot, and it’s entirely in Draco Malfoy’s point of view. So forgive me if I forget a few quotations because I’m narrating but any talking/thinking is his point of view.
* * * * * * * * *
Christmas Shoes
Draco had been waiting in line for an hour at least and he was beginning to get frustrated. “Geez,” he thought, “I only want to buy a couple gifts, these Christmas shopping lines can be so long. Besides, I don’t even want to give these gifts, I just have to out of respect, well respect my butt.”
He was tired and hungry and just wanted to get home, this was house elf work, in his opinion. “A Malfoy should NOT have to wait in line!” Draco continued to whine to himself the entire time, after all complain is what a Malfoy did best.
And, how dare his father, sending him to a muggle store. Just because his fellow Death Eaters wanted “toys” to antagonize (to put it nicely) the bloody muggles didn’t mean he had to do the dirty work himself. He felt like his father’s slave, not that his father didn’t always boss him around.
there I stood in another line
Tryin' to buy that last gift or two,
not really in the Christmas mood
“Bloody Hell” he thought carrying on his endless stream of complaints. “Couldn’t this little boy just stop moving, he’s been pacing around the WHOLE time, how much energy can a kid have? And what’s he so anxious about, we’ve all been waiting in line too. And where’s his mother, he can’t be more than 8.” There was a ragged little boy waiting in front of him.
“He’s dressed as bad as a house elf too, how embarrassing sending a child out like that. What was his mother thinking! Honestly!” He was dirty, malnourished, short, pesky, and in need of a good punishment, Draco added.
“And look, he’s only holding a pair of shoes, couldn’t he have come another day!” Draco was beginning to lose his patience so, he continued to rant on the boy, helping him pass time.
By the time it was the boy’s turn to pay the store was closed. And Draco was on the edge of a conniption. Muggle cashiers, slower than snails. Seriously.
was a little boy waiting anxiously
Pacing 'round like little boys do
And in his hands he held a pair of shoes
His clothes were worn and old,
he was dirty from head to toe
And when it came his time to pay
I couldn't believe what I heard him say.
The little boy had to stand on his tip-toe’s just to get his nose over the counter. His mother was still no where in sight, noticed Draco. Was he actually here on his own? “Like I could care,” Draco reminded himself.
Draco had been lost in thought thinking about all the enmity he had toward people. He found it amusing to think about hate and evil. Something that was innate from his father he supposed. But the little boy’s tiny voice broke his thoughts.
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight
Even Draco, as anti-muggle, and emotionless as he was couldn’t help but feel a little empathy for the boy. After all, his mother had been sick once too, but things were much easier to cure in the magical world. Draco remembered how sad his sick mother had made him. How did this little boy take it so well? “Who cares?” Draco reminded himself. But he continued to watch the boy.
He searched his pockets for anything he had. He pulled up about every kind of coin, pennies, nickels, quarter, even a one dollar coin. But just one. Draco figured most of these had been collected off the street. Then he heard the boy say, “See this, sir,” holding the dollar coin, “ This was my Christmas present last year,”
“Very nice, you’re a lucky boy” answered the cashier with kindness.
That’s a present thought Draco mockingly. Last year, I got 50 galleons and a broom and chocolate and new robes and an extra bedroom and the list went on, not to mention the presents from my friends. So he’s a muggle and poor, that’s worse than Weasel face and Potter.
Together the cashier and the boy counted the coins while Draco waited, very impatiently. By this time, all empathy, sympathy, pity, was lost for the boy. Draco’s resentment and annoyance had come back full force. “I can count faster than this and I don’t even know muggle currency,” he said to himself.
The cashier looked up finally, “I’m sorry, there isn’t enough here.” The boy looked around hysterically, on the verge of tears. The cashier seemed almost as upset at having to deprive this boy.
“Why is this happening to me??? Me of all people, couldn’t someone else be tortured waiting like this?” he thought edgily. Suddenly, Draco noticed the boy staring up at him. “Oh, great,” he thought, “more great news, he wants money doesn’t he?? Well too bad!” He annoyed me waaaay too much anyway.
Then the cashier said, "Son, there's not enough here"
He searched his pockets frantically
Then he turned and he looked at me
He said Mama made Christmas good at our house
Though most years she just did without
Tell me Sir, what am I going to do,
Somehow I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes
Draco cringed, “I am NOT giving him any money” It took all his will power to look away, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t get rid of the image of little boy’s tiny face staring up at him hopefully. Eventually, it took over. Draco caved in and took some money from his pocket.
Despite his selfishness, Draco knew immediately that helping this little boy was the right thing to do. All he needed to do was see the little boy’s face light up at his generous act. It was full of joy and kindness and thanks that only his innocent little face could produce.
It was a good feeling, Draco thought. Helping someone, making that little boy happy. “It could really pay off,” thought Draco. After all, being a Malfoy he had never helped anyone, and until now never planned to.
I just had to help him out
I'll never forget the look on his face when he said
Mama's gonna look so great
Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight
Suddenly, Draco’s thought’s snapped back to his father, and the Malfoy reputation. He was quickly disgusted with his actions. How could he, Draco Malfoy, help someone, a muggle at that! It was so un-Malfoy, it was despicable. His father would beat him if he knew.
He would never tell anyone, ever! He didn’t even know what made him do it. That little boy just had an aura around him that had captured Draco. “But it will never, ever, ever happen again” Draco assured himself.
His thoughts swirled, he couldn’t believe he had just helped the boy. He was almost convinced the boy had some magical power that forced Draco to do it, like the Imperious Curse, but quickly discarded that idea. Never mind were they in a muggle store he was a little boy. It was just the shock that he helped someone. Still, he didn’t know what to think. He was never brought up to deal with helping people, he was supposed to be mean, he was above benevolence.
Then, a thought occurred to him, was it really all that bad?? Just to help someone out, was it as horrible as his father made out?? After all he had felt a good feeling when helping the boy, and the boy was so happy. Wouldn’t he have wanted someone to do that for his mother? Yes he would have.
It was then he realized, it wasn’t all that different, muggle or wizard. Love and kindness had a universal understanding. Deep down somewhere, Draco thought he had always known this. Rich or poor, old or young, it was all the same really. Wasn’t it???
While having this internal struggle, Draco hadn’t realized the boy had run out of the store and the cashier was waiting for him. He walked up and paid for his items.
As he thanked me and ran out
I knew that God had sent that little boy
To remind me just what Christmas is all about
Even during his moment of realization, Draco questioned himself. He wasn’t sure if he should be disgusted or not. I mean, could muggles really be equal to wizards, or could Weasley’s really be equal to Malfoy’s. He wasn’t so sure after all. Which was wrong, the world, or his upbringing? Did everything have equality?
He had made up his mind and took on his father’s cold ways. No. Everyone can’t be equal. His thoughts were wrong, his heart was in the wrong place, for a Malfoy at least, something whispered inside him.
Draco chose to ignore that little voice, and went home. He lived his life his father’s way. “Malfoy’s, pure-bloods, the rich, they were all better. That was the way he was bred, so it must be right, right?” he tried to convince himself. If it wasn’t right then we wouldn’t live in this world today, based on money, instead of morals and values. Right??
But no matter how hard he tried his thoughts would always drift back to that on voice, questioning his motives and virtues. It was always a struggle between his breeding and his heart.
Maybe everyone was created equal and it is man himself who destroyed this fairness and equality. Maybe the rich and the pure-blood weren’t better, maybe it was all in their head. Anyone can be kind or caring can’t they?? He had seen underprivileged Mrs. Weasley after all; she was so nice to everyone. She had Harry live at her house for half a summer, and took him to the Quidditch World Cup.
So he finalized his decision. His heart, not his breeding, was right. It should be based on morals not money. Even the homeless can be good at heart. Malfoy’s were wrong and he couldn’t change that but he could change himself.
All he needed was that one kind, selfless, generous act from that one little boy that showed him all this, that fairness and equality, not power or money rule society. And that in fact, everyone was equal.
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight
* * * * * * * * *
A/N: Just so you know, this is not my real portrayal of Draco. I don’t think he would react this way. But he seemed the only character to fit this fic. Hope you liked it. :)