Work Text:
Praise to Yule, the longest night,
Of all the turning year,
Praise the Goddess for her light,
That banishes all fear.
From here the tide will start to turn,
Dark night will yield to day,
Bright rays of the sun will soon return,
To cast the dark away.
Light the candles and join the dance,
Raise your wands up high!
Winter is vanquished and cannot advance,
Upon our earth and sky.
Harry breathed in the frigid winter air as he and Draco walked around the edge of the Manor Lake. A warming charm kept out the worst of the chill but he knotted his gloved fingers through Draco’s own, pulling his beloved close so that he might steal some of his warmth.
“What are you singing?” Harry asked, stepping gingerly over a patch of ice. “It doesn’t sound like any of the Christmas carols that I sang as a kid.”
Draco’s eyes darted over, full of gentle amusement. He was wearing a green knitted Weasley hat and scarf. Both his nose and cheeks were pink. The wizard looked entirely glorious. Harry was just thinking about kissing him when Draco replied.
“I very much doubt your Muggle Primary school taught traditional Yuletide songs, Harry,” Draco explained. “My Elf-Nanny used to sing this to me when I was very small.” He squeezed Harry’s fingers tightly. “Ancient witches and wizards would practice arcane rituals at Yule to banish winter and bring forth the new year. It was ancient magic, binding us deeply with the earth.” Draco’s grey eyes met Harry’s own. “Even today, if you visit Stonehenge you can feel the frisson of our ancestor’s magic, love. It permeated the very stones.”
The two of them paused their walk and looked out across the frozen water.
“Will you teach me the words?” Harry asked. “Growing up like I did- not knowing my parents or that I was born a wizard- I never got to learn anything about my magical heritage.”
Draco nodded and began to sing again.
Eventually Harry joined in, shy about his voice but wanting very much to share in this special tradition with Draco. His beloved was the sun that brightened Harry’s whole world.