Inside the Malfoy family's luxurious dining room.
A table covered with a gold-embossed white tablecloth was laden with all kinds of delicacies.
Shawn sat at the head, with Narcissa and Lucius on either side and Wenge in the second seat to his left.
Four children occupied the other seats: Draco, Harry, and the Greengrass sisters.
As for Purple Shadow and Fawkes, they were playing hide-and-seek in a huge Christmas tree. The two birds had practically roasted it.
The atmosphere in the dining room was quiet. Everyone at the table had excellent manners, and since they were not "one family," there was no casual dinner-table chatter.
The adults did occasionally glance at the four-meter-tall Christmas tree by the entrance, though their attention was entirely on Fawkes, who was being chased through every gap in its branches.
They silently weighed the relationship between Shawn and Dumbledore.
Not long ago, the two had fought outside and nearly demolished the front courtyard.
Yet now Dumbledore's pet was brazenly spending Christmas with Shawn, while being bullied every which way by Shawn's pet.
Their relationship was simply impossible to fathom.
Still, there was one thing all three adults understood perfectly.
Shawn really could play both sides.
Following a leader like him promised a profitable future!
Shawn finished the last of the food on his plate, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and waited for dessert.
He found the elaborate formalities of aristocratic dining rather irritating, but patiently endured them without showing it. This was something he needed to learn.
Harry was probably the most uncomfortable person present.
At least Shawn had someone to teach him.
Harry, meanwhile, found this Christmas dinner terribly awkward. Although he had learned to manage reasonably well at Hogwarts, all the dishes there were generally served at once. As long as he