Will You Babysit the Cubs?
Summary: One-shot of Draco remembering older painful times while babysitting Teddy. Based on the single line (Voldemort; The Dark Lord Ascending) "Will you babysit the cubs?" I came up with this while rereading Deathly Hallows. Oh by the by, this is set in the time between Voldemort's defeat and Astoria coming into Draco's life. Let's say about three years after? Before Scorpius and Astoria.
Rating: K+
DISCLAIMER: I don't own this. But I sure as hell wish I did !
Harry stood at Draco's doorstep with his godson, Teddy in his arms. Knocking on the door, Harry heard Draco come rushing down the stairs to open it. The door was swung open and Harry was looking at the wrong end of a wand. Draco blinked as he noticed it was just Harry and Teddy. He opened the door a bit wider for them to come in.
"Hello Potter."
Harry grimaced, putting Teddy down on the floor as he rushed towards his cousin, "I thought I told you to stop calling me that!" Just as Draco seemed likely to argue, Harry waved his hand dismissively. "Anyway that's not why I came here. I need to ask you a favor…" Draco eyed him warily and Harry continued as he idly noticed Teddy wrap his arms around Draco's leg. "Will you babysit Teddy tonight?" Draco's eyes went wide.
"Er- well… I guess I could," he looked down to see Teddy looking up at him expectantly, "But-"
"Thanks Draco! You're a life-saver! Here's all his things. A pair of clean pajamas in case he gets sleepy, his favorite toy dinosaur, and two pair of pull-ups for when he goes to bed. He still wets it sometimes."
Draco's eyes widened and his eyebrows almost disappeared into his bangs. All that for a little 4 year old? Ridiculous.
"I think that's all. OH! Wait I almost forgot!" Harry rummaged through his pocket before he pulled out two tiny animals. He pointed his wand at them, enlarging them. "These are his two stuffed wolves. He loves them lots, and refuses to eat or sleep without them. DON'T LOSE THEM!" He handed Draco the stuffed animals, one jet black with grey eyes and a purple one with brown eyes. He looked at all the supplies cautiously, he was in for a rough night. Harry bent down to give Teddy a hug before straightening up and ruffling Teddy and Draco's hair. "I guess you two are ready to survive the night, huh? Thanks again Drake, can't be more grateful! Bye you two!" With those last words, The Boy-Who-Lived walked out the door of The Amazing-Bouncing-Ferret's home.
* TWO HOURS LATER*
"WHERE IS MOONY? I WUN MOONY!"
Draco desperately shoved the purple wolf at him. It was no use, Teddy continued bawling.
"MOONY! MOONY! MOONY! MOONY! YOU LOST MOONY!"
The four year olds eyes began to water as he began hitting his cousin almost uncle's leg viciously. Draco yelled, "Bloody cub!" Teddy's eyes immediately watered, he let go of Draco's leg and landed with a soft 'thump' on the floor, his hair faded it a graying chestnut and Draco was hit with a pang of nostalgia as Teddy took on almost the same appearance as his father, without the scars and sickened look. For a moment Draco almost said, "I'm sorry Professor," but the words wouldn't come out as he wrenched his own eyes from the young Lupin. He didn't want to think back to the dark times. To the pain, to the loss, to the war that ruined everyone's lives, and the war that ended most of theirs…
The room now had two teary eyed boys. Draco slowly knelt to the floor and wrapped his arms around the little boy. They both sobbed, but Teddy stopped weeping when he realized that his Uncle Dragon was the one crying and not him. Draco was warmed as he felt the toddler's arms slowly wrap around him, barely touching his back.
A soft tiny voice spoke concernedly, "Why you cwayin Drago?"
Draco. Malfoy corrected in his head. The irony did not escape him, the boy was never able to say his name right. His mother had once called him her little dragon, but those times felt like they were a century ago... Before Voldemort finally fell, before the torture, before he joined the Death Eaters, before the Dark Lord rose again, before his father's expectations of being a powerful wizard, before he was Sorted, before Hogwarts, it felt like eras had passed from the time when he, himself, was Teddy's age.
His tears continued pouring and his sobs pitched when he thought about his life, his horrible mistakes, and his father's influence in the direction his life had gone.
Teddy's arms tightened around him and the boy began murmuring to him that everything was ok, that he was fine, that Moony wouldn't want to see Dragon cry. That got a sad laugh out of the young Malfoy and he slowly back out of Teddy's tiny grip.
"Thank you, Teddy. You made me feel better, now why don't we go find Moony?"
Teddy nodded vigorously, Draco let out a small chuckle, "Don't tell him I cried or he'll never let me live it down." Teddy smiled and whispered secretively, "Dun worry Dragon, I wun say anytang!"
Draco nodded strictly and was pulled by the hand by Teddy in search of Moony.
*The Next Morning*
Draco was laying next to a sleeping Teddy. In between them was Moony and Tonks, the two stuffed wolves. They had found Moony was hiding on the window sill of the room Teddy had last been playing with his toy dinosaur. Draco thought back to last night and felt his laughter rumble through the pillows and comforter as he remembered that it had been a full moon. Memories of his third year and the sickly Defense professor flashed through his mind. He smiled, the nostalgia back again as he wondered if his old professor would find it comical that his son's stuffed wolf had been found on a window sill, in a sitting position looking out into the sky as a full moon lit up the room. He didn't know. He had never taken the time to know him. Then again, when would have he had the chance? Once again Draco pushed away the more painful memories and a single tear slid down his face as he wondered if his professor would have gotten along with him, and the fact that his son was almost like Draco's little brother.
He felt Teddy stir next to him and he quickly wiped the tear away. The blue haired boy turned to him, wiping the sleep out of his eyes, "I'm hungry Drago!"
Draco quickly got out of bed and pulled Teddy into his arms and carried him down the stairs to the kitchen. They ate and a few hours later when Harry was coming to pick Teddy up, Draco and Teddy were back in the bedroom, sitting on the bed playing with the cubs. Suddenly Teddy stopped just as Tonks was fighting the giant dinosaur trying to squash Moony. Draco looked at him curiously, "What's wrong Teddy?"
Teddy looked up at him seriously, he gave him a stern glare, "Will you babysit the cubs?" Draco almost gagged as he remembered the last time those words were spoken to him. The last time it had come from a vile, hissing, taunting, evil person, but now it came from a small child… The same "cub" that the last person-no, that murderer was not a person. He looked into the eyes of the young cub. "Of course Teddy, if you ever need me too!" Teddy smiled cheerfully and giggled childishly, "That's nice Dragon!" And he continued playing with the stuffed cubs.
Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang and Draco ran to answer it, Teddy in tow. He opened the door slightly and whipped out his wand out of old habit. Harry stepped back as it almost hit his scar. He laughed and put the wand back in his pocket. He opened the door for Harry to come in and nodded appreciatively, stepping inside. He looked down at Teddy, "Have fun?" Teddy nodded vigorously and Draco felt a little pride and joy bubble inside him. He smiled happily and Harry looked almost taken aback as he had rarely seen Malfoy's real smile. He grinned back and grabbed Teddy's bag from the floor.
"Good to see you smile again, Draco." Draco smirked and rolled his eyes, Harry rolled his and commented, "And it's gone. Well it was nice while it lasted. Thanks by the way, for babysitting the cub." Harry said affectionately while ruffling the cub's hair. Draco sneered at the memory of that horrible meeting at Malfoy Manor, when the news of his cousin marrying his werewolf ex-professor had been told, and the taunting question of that murderer. Harry waved his hand in front of the blonde's eyes, Draco blinked and realized he was once again lost in his memories. "Sorry, dozed off there…" The brunette nodded his understanding, then clapped his hands together. "Well we better be off. Come on Teddy bear!" Teddy and Draco grimaced at the horrid nickname. The little boy slowly walked towards Harry, but then suddenly turned to Draco.
"Dragon?"
"Yes?"
"Will you babysit the cubs?" Teddy extended the two stuffed wolves towards the blonde and this time, he did the only logical thing.
He let out a bark of laughter.
THE END
A/N: cute little onesie :) wrote it in an hour! yay! lol first one-shot ever hope you liked it. review, favorite and all that jazz :)
p.s. Draco accepted the cubs, Harry was lost as always, and Teddy eventually picked them up from the babysitter!