Well, this is a fic for a challenge. This is my first fic in English without help so fell free to bug me about grammatical errors.
Disclaimer: All characters, places and professions belong to J. K. Rowling except for Nerea Malfoy; she belongs to me.
Draco Day Care
"Are you sure you can manage by yourself?" If she gave him a knut every time she asked him that, he could buy himself half the Ministry by now. He let a 'it'll be perfectly fine' escape his lips before helping her into a green traveling cloak. "There're leftovers in the kitchen you can heat up if you two get hungry. But don't try to use the muggle oven unless you are absolutely sure of what you're doing. Remember to help him finish his potions homework and…" she bit her lip, trying to remember what else could be added to the list.
"Honey, it's not the first time I'm alone with him." He commented with a small smile. "Or do you not trust me enough to take care of him?" His face turned into a false pout. She just reached and kissed his lips sweetly before pulling back.
"Of course I trust you, but I still don't want to find the house in ruins when I come back."
"Then you better get going. You don't want to be late, do you?" His voice came teasingly, the small smile back in his lips. She gave him one last goodbye kiss before turning around, heading for the fireplace. A light cough stopped her hand inches from the floo powder and as she turned around she could see her husband with a dragon skin bag wrapped around his arm, an amused smirk on his lips.
"Oh Draco, what would I do without you?" She asked grabbing the bag and opening it to make sure everything was in it.
"Waste at least as double floo powder?" Draco responded slyly. She just laughed at the comment before closing the bag and hanging it around her arm. One last smile and she was gone with the green flames.
Draco sat down on his favorite armchair with a content sigh and reached out to grab today's edition of the Daily Prophet. He had the house for himself for the whole day. Well, not entirely for himself, but sharing it with his only son wasn't a real big problem. He quickly read through the paper, not finding anything of interest. With that he got up, stretching his arms and back until he heard a crack before getting out of the room. He read 11:30 on the muggle grandfather clock in the hall and decided it was a good time to wake Scorpio up.
Draco made his way up the stairs, stopping in front of the second door to his left. The door before that one was a study, and the two behind him held his own bedroom and a visitor's bedroom with two twin beds. At the end of the hall was a small bathroom. He had to admit, the house wasn't Malfoy Manor, but it was definitely much more comfortable to live in. Downstairs there was a kitchen, a dinning room, a living room and two more bathrooms.
Draco knocked softly before entering. The curtain was open, so he could clearly see the entire room. A desk filled with parchments, quills and ink pots (not to mention ink stains) was right in front of him, next to a closed closet with what he believed was Scorpio's Hogwart's uniform hanging from it's door handle. Next to the closet was a window, and right in front of it was a messy bed, with a little blond boy drooling over the pillow that he was holding tightly in his arms. 'Alright,' he thought, 'he's not that little anymore…' His son was almost twelve years old and already a proud member of…Gryffindor. He mentally groaned. Well, that couldn't be helped; the boy was about as cunning and ambitious as a flobberworm. But the letters he sent from school were happy ones, and Draco Malfoy would do anything to make his son happy, even if it was swallowing his pride and letting him be a Gryffindor.
He got closer to the bed, carefully avoiding the clothes, parchments and feathers that littered the floor, and started shaking Scorpio's shoulder. "Scorp, time to get up." The boy responded with a little grunt and turned around, his eyes still closed in peaceful slumber. Draco suppressed a sigh; it never was easy to get him out of bed. He was going to start shaking him harder when the doorbell rang. "I'm going, I'm going," he shouted, leaving the room. He heard Scorpio make a little gurgling noise before hugging the pillow again.
He made it to the front door in record time and was already trying to make up some excuse for what he expected would be another muggle salesman. So when he came face to face with a black haired man with green eyes, glasses, and a lighting shaped scar on his forehead, to say that he was a little taken aback would be the understatement of the year. But, he hadn't been the prince of Slytherin for nothing, and in two seconds flat he composed his face into a glare, his grey eyes turning into ice.
"Potter." He said. Harry's eyes also darkened.
"Malfo-"
"Is Scorp up yet?" A cheery voice interrupted him. The attention of both men was diverted to the eleven-year-old standing behind Harry. 'A Potter clone without scar or glasses' was the first thing Draco thought when he got a good look at him. After he finally digested the question he shook his head.
"Tried to shake him a little, that's when you called." He explained in a neutral voice. The kid snorted.
"The day Scorp wakes up with a little shake will be the day Rosie fails a test." He exclaimed. "Can I try?" Draco nodded, a bit taken aback, and the black haired boy wiggled his way through the entrance and started up the stairs.
"Sorry Potter." He said in what he hoped to be a calm voice. He reminded himself that the only reason he was putting up with 'The Chosen One' was because their kids were friends at school, which meant he HAD to be nice to scar face. "Scorpio didn't say anything about expecting visits today."
"Well, Al was as kind as to remind me this morning around nine, and I think Hermione will be dropping Rose off too." The blond let out a little groan. Harry just chuckled.
"Just great, the day Nerea's out for the entire day, I end up having to baby-sit the new Golden Trio." Harry let out a laugh this time. At first, he wasn't too surprised to find a new trio had been formed, but he was down right shocked to find out Scorpio Malfoy was the last addition. Although with every owl that came from Hogwarts, he became more convinced that it was going to be just like more than twenty-six years ago, maybe a little less dangerous. He looked over at his old school rival who was also lost in thought.
A splashing sound, followed by a little scream and a loud thump brought both men out of their musings. Seconds later Albus Severus Potter ran down the stairs, followed by a soaking wet Scorpius Malfoy.
"He's up!" Al exclaimed happily. "It's like being back in Hogwarts, right Scorp?" Scorpio stopped behind him, glaring at the black haired boy and shivering a little.
"I get it that you do this at school so we don't end up being late… but it's Christmas vacation Al! Why can't you just let me sleep a bit?" He whined. Draco got his wand out and with a flick he dried his son.
"How did you do this Al? You know you aren't supposed to use magic outside of school." Harry said sternly, trying to not show the surprise he felt.
"There was a bucket in the bathroom." Al answered, shrugging slightly.
"And, why did you do this to Scorpio, Albus?" This time, Harry's tone was disapproving, making his son cringe a bit.
"Yea, well, before it was easy! All we had to do was push him off the bed, but after our first flying class he managed to learn how to turn himself over in mid fall and let the pillow hit the ground first. Without waking up!" Albus started waving his arms over his head to give a more realistic touch to the narration. Scorpio just stared at his feet, feeling the color rush to his face, but his father just laughed it off before ruffling his hair with his hand.
"So that's the reason my son actually gets his butt to class every morning." Chuckled Draco.
The doorbell rang again. Scorpio went into a sprint and was able to open it, even though he had been the farthest away from the door.
"Wow, you're up!" The girl in the door way clapped her hands over her mouth in surprise and let out a startled gasp. Scorpio just rolled his eyes.
"Is there ANYONE that doesn't have a problem with my sleeping habits this morning?" He asked out of pure frustration. Rose let out a little giggle.
"Where's auntie Hermione Rosie?" Albus asked. Scorpio moved aside to let the redhead in.
"Mum said something about a party in the Aurors Department that she was in-"
"Oh Merlin! I'm supposed to give the opening speech!" Harry said, hastily moving towards the door. "I'm leaving them all here." It wasn't a question, and when Harry realized it, he was already outside. "Are you sure you can manage the three of them by yourself?" He asked, turning around unsure, only to have a door shut in his face. Harry held back a snigger before yelling at the closed door. "I'll be back for them around five. Good luck Malfoy!" And with that he disapparited from sight.
Draco Day Care
There were some things you had to keep in mind when treating with Draco Malfoy.
First, Draco Malfoy does NOT accept pity, especially not from Potter. So he does not appreciate any form of concern that can be taken as pity, even if it's just a good luck comment.
Second, Draco Malfoy NEVER accepts help from a Potter. He will accept help from his wife Nerea, from his son Scorpius, heck; he would even accept help from Mrs. Peterson, the old muggle lady from down the street. But never ever from Potter.
Third, Draco Malfoy can take ANY mission given to him. Taking care of three little kids is something he is perfectly capable to do.
Fourth, Draco Malfoy has absolutely NO IDEA as to how a muggle toaster works; so when the toast finally jumps, he has every right to hex said bread into oblivion.
"Dad, forget it, we'll get some cereal for breakfast." Scorpio decided after watching his father disintegrate the last five toasts. With a sigh he got up, grabbed three bowls, the milk from the fridge and the box of chocolate covered cereal from a cupboard. Draco just poured some already made coffee in a cup and heated it with his wand.
"Why doesn't your dad just prepare the toast with magic?" Albus asked while he poured a generous amount of milk into his bowl.
"Mum's got this rule about not using magic with food. Says it's unhealthy, cause the magic changes the property of the vitamins or something like that. She still lets dad move it around with magic, and he gets to heat liquids, but we have to make the rest the muggle way." He answered, pouring some cereal.
"Oh yeah, you're mum's a Healer, right?" Rose commented as she grabbed the milk from her cousin. "She must know a lot about it."
"Yup, she has a meeting today, won't be home 'till late."
The three kept eating in a comfortable silence, with Al's occasional comment that usually got them all laughing.
"Have you all finished your potions homework?" Draco asked, catching them by surprise for they had all forgotten he was still there. The two boys looked at other gulping hard. Rose just glared at them. "What do you have to do?"
"Write an insanely long essay about the forgetfulness potion." Al mumbled. " I mean, it's really stupid, why do we have to know about a forgetfulness potion! We'll probably forget about it if we actually do the potion right!
"Well, if you want to pass this years potions you better learn it by heart." Draco informed, getting curious glances from the three of them. "If I remember correctly, first year potion exam is to make the forgetfulness potion. Of course, that was almost twenty-six years ago, so I'm not quite sure if it still is."
Draco took a moment to take in the different reactions. His son nodded, didn't look too troubled about it. The Weaselette, 'Rose' he corrected himself mentally, had a huge grin and her eyes began to sparkle with the new information. 'Must have inherited her mothers brains' he thought. But Albus… he looked like a house elf caught in the headlights. He was pretty sure the kid would start crying right that instant. 'Well, looks like that one wasn't as lucky and ended up with his dad's potion skills.'
"If I fail potions… do you think they'll hold me back a year?" He asked Scorpio and Rose. The two looked at him solemnly, neither daring to speak. Albus just swallowed hard, obviously, he too was thinking of the worst.
"Do you three want to practice it in the study? I think I've got some extra caldrons, and your potions kit should have the ingredients necessary." The trio nodded and got up, heading for the stairs. Draco levitated the plates to the sink where they began to wash themselves and followed the kids.
The study was about as big as Scorpio's room. It had two desks next to a window and a little closet in a corner. Draco went to said closet and took four button-sized caldrons, enlarging them and setting them in the middle of the room. Then he created four controlled fires. Meanwhile, Scorpio went up to the desks and began pulling out ingredients from the drawers, along with a copy of Magical Drafts and Potions.
The four of them got to work. Scorpio, Albus and Rose on the forgetfulness potion, Draco, on the other hand, started making memory potions, just in case.
An hour later Draco stood in front of six vials of 'Memory Juice'. He looked around; Rose and Scorpio both had an emerald colored liquid in their caldrons, although Rose's looked a little denser, and his son's had a darker shade of green. He shrugged it off, 'just means it's stronger.' And then he caught site of Al's potion. It wasn't emerald… it wasn't even green!! It was dark red. As in, blood dark red.
"You forgot to add the moonstone!" Rose exclaimed, getting a good look at her cousin's potion.
"No, he just added it at the wrong moment." Scorpio contradicted her.
"He didn't add it!" She replied.
"He did, if he didn't it would be a dark brown!" He explained.
"Would not!"
"Would too!"
"Would not!"
"Would too!"
"WOULD NOT!"
"WOULD TOO!"
"Emm, guys?" Albus interrupted. The two glared at him, but he just pointed at his now bubbling potion. The caldron started trembling, the liquid began boiling, foaming, and then started changing colors. First it turned dark blue, then turquoise until it settled with an ugly yellowish brown. The liquid stopped reacting. None of them moved, and just as they thought they could breath again the caldron let a loud 'glubk'. The potion shot up, covering everything within a three-step distance in a dense brownish muddy…muck.
"I think you also forgot the salamander blood." Draco said, getting closer to inspect the damage. One of the muck-covered kids nodded his/her head, although Draco wasn't very sure of which one it was. "Which is pure luck, since that makes the potion totally useless." This time all three kids nodded.
Ten minutes and five cleaning spells later all four where surrounding Al's now empty caldron. They had decided to make the potion together, to prevent more damage. The potion was finished forty minutes later. It wasn't as dense as Rose's, or as green as Scorpio's. But it was dense and green, and Draco hoped that that was what counted.
"Ok, I'm going to go make lunch, you three finish that insanely long essay about the forgetfulness potion, alright?" The three nodded and Draco went back downstairs.
Draco Day Care
1. Boil liter of water and 1/4 liter of milk containing 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
2. Pour the liquid into a dish and wait 2 to 3 minutes before adding the flakes.
3. Wait, without stirring, until the flakes have absorbed the liquid.
4. Stir slowly and add a knob of butter. Your potato mash is ready.
Draco Malfoy raised an eyebrow. It didn't look too difficult… If this was for one portion, and they were four, he would just need two liters of water, one of milk and two teaspoons of salt. All correct till there.
Then why did the mash look so… liquidly? He stared at the instructions again. Well, stared wasn't the correct word. He glared at the instructions, almost waiting to see if the problem appeared with invisible ink.
A burning scent caught his nostrils and it took him a few seconds to recognize the burnt to a crisp lumps that lay on the pan. He sighed and quickly disposed of the meat and sent the pan to the sink where it stood in line waiting to be washed. He looked at the dish where the 'potato mash' supposedly was. After deciding that it just wasn't edible a flick of his wand made it disappear as well.
"Dad, is lunch ready yet?" Scorpio asked coming in the kitchen, Albus and Rose close behind him. The three took in the site, in the middle of the room stood Mr. Malfoy holding a box of muggle fast food, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing stains of at least four different substances and Scorpio was pretty sure that his whole head was covered in flour, but it was difficult to tell. The sink was full of plates, pans and pots, even though they were being cleaned by magical means, the amount of dishes did not seem to diminish. And of course, the fact that the whole kitchen smelled like one of Al's potions didn't really help.
"Almost Scorp." Draco said, not looking at his son direction, but opening cupboards to try and locate something to eat.
"Dude, your dad's been there for almost an hour." Albus whispered to Scorpio.
"Between you and me. My dad's as good a cook as your dad is potion maker." The comment got a few snickers from the cousins.
But the attention went to the pot of boiling milk Draco had set in the fire in one last attempt to make the potato mash. The milk started foaming out of the pot and ended on the floor. The only adult looked at with a bored expression on his face. A flick later both milk and pot had disappeared.
"Scorp" He said, starting to massage his forehead with his right hand. "Remember that round thing mum orders from the muggle shop when she doesn't want to cook?"
"Pizza?"
"Yeah, why don't you call for two big ones, any ingredients you three want." He stated in an almost defeated voice. The trio grinned before going to the phone.
Draco Day Care
Three woman apparited in the backyard of the house. One of them reached into her green cloak pocket and took out the key for the door. Silently the three entered the house and closed the door behind them.
"Well, at least it looks like the house still holds on." The one with the key said. She took the cloak off and left it on the kitchen table.
"I'm so sorry Nerea. If I had known you were out I wouldn't have left Rose here." A brunette said.
"Nor Albus."
"Hermione, Ginny, no worries. I'm sure Draco managed the three of them just fine." Nerea stated with a smile, trying to convince herself as well.
The three of them made their way to the living room and where surprised to find four sleeping figures on the couch. The two boys were using the adult as a pillow, while the girl was using the little blond as a head cushion. There were a few pizza cartons on the floor and the muggle TV was on but set on mute.
"Looks like we worried over nothing." Hermione said, walking up to her daughter. "Rosie, time to go home."
"Albus, come on, wake up." The two kids started stirring along with Draco.
"You're back already?" He asked in a groggy voice. With a yawn he got up, helping Al up as well. Scorpio fell into the place his father had occupied without waking.
"Looks like we found a new babysitter, right 'Mione?" Ginny asked in a teasing voice.
"Yeah" She answered helping Rose up from the sofa. "Isn't that great?"
"Yeah, just great" Draco answered sarcastically rolling his eyes. "Can't wait to have to take care of the Golden Trio again."
End
First of all, please remember that when boiling milk, you must remove the heat source or it'll start foaming. Yes people, it happens! Also remember that when multiplying ingredients, you must multiply them all (including the flakes) And no, waking a friend up by pouring a bucket of water on their head is not very nice, but sometimes necessary.