~ Yet Another Christmas! 24th Dec. ~

Doodle mimicked his master, releasing the train which began to zoom around the track, under the bed, table and other furniture.

The house elf's grin grew. It was oddly fun.

Darius laughed as the trains went. "Choo choo!" he mimiked the trains' noise.

"Choo Choo!" Doodle repeated with glee, clapping his hands twice to make bridges appear at intervals.

And little green trees. Not plastic, magic. His master had warned him against plastic trees.

Not good for digestion.

"Wow!" Darius exclaimed in wonder. "Can you make a train station too?"

Doodle nodded, still with a beaming smile. "Of course Master!"

A small train station appeared, complete with small human figures at intervals. "Like that, Master?"

"And a zoo! Make a zoo!" Darius said eager to see whatelse.

Doodle concentrated for a moment, and a small zoo with animal figures appeared in a loop of the track.

A small sign declaring "Darius' Zoo" appeared over it's doors.

"And do a - a - theme park!" He said jumping with glee.

Doodle again did as bidden, several roller coasters appearing around a corner of the track, forming tracks and wending around, meeting at one side.

Doodle smiled, feeling rather pleased with himself.

"And... and a Quidditch Stadium!" Darius interjected.

Doodle paused. He wasn't quite sure what they looked like, so he improvised.

A big ring of seats, three hoops and small figures in mid-flight hovering at random intervals.

"...Is that correct Master?"

"Yes! Though there should be seven in each team." Darius pointed out.

Another clap of the hands, and a few more appeared. Doodle counted quickly, and with some inaccuracy. It looked like seven...ish?

"What's going on Darius?" Darien poked his head in.

Doodle saw the opportunity to go shopping, and bowed. "Doodle shall be back shortly sirs!" He declared, vanishing with an ominous crack.

"Look what Santa's elf Doodle did Dad!" Darius exclaimed gesturing at the general area of the extended version of the train-set... which took up pretty much the entire room.

Darien raised his eyebrows. "Very impressive."

"Is that a Quidditch pitch?" He asked, grinning as he knelt to examine it.

"Uhuh..." Darius said nodding. "And a theme part... and a zoo!"

Darien examined each in turn and laughed. "So, are you happy with your new and improved train track?"

"Uhuh!" Darius nodded. He grinned. "Play with me Daaaaad!"

Darien's grin mirrored his son's.

"...Alright then." He sat on the floor at one side of the track, watching the trains with an amusingly childlike expression.

"Let's take these people to the zoo." Darius said. "They want to see the animimals."

"Let's pop them on the train then..." Darien grinned as he sat encircled in track.

To the casual observer, it would have been difficult to see who was having the most fun, the "adult" or the child.

He stopped the train at the station for Darius to place the aforementioned people on board.

Darius picked up the little people and placed them on the train that his Dad prepared. "You're going to the zoo now." He reassured them.

((When shall we cut to the dramatic events of the next morning, or shall D return now? lol))

Darien smiled and released the train, which proceeded to travel merrily along the track.

"Time to change the points!" He pointed to the small lever, and gestured for Darius to do it. It was his train set, after all.

((We can cut to that now. XP))

Darien and little Darius spent all afternoon playing train.

THE NEXT MORNING.

((lol...*evil chuckle*))

Doodle was feeling chuffed with himself.

In fact, more than chuffed.

Organising a spontaneous pile of presents "under" the tree had been tricky. And impractical. So it had turned into "not quite under but damn near" the tree.

He checked the list one final time before vanishing to reappear in the kitchen, getting on with preparing some breakfast.

Wouldn't the young master be happy? Doodle beamed. He was here to please.