A/N: In this story there is no magic :-). So….I don't own anything (obviously) Sit back relax and enjoy.
At four o'clock in the morning Draco heard the baby's cry echo through out his small studio apartment. He opens his eyes and looks at the popcorn ceiling. Oh great, Draco thought as he sat up in bed. It was the third time this week that he had awoken at four in the morning and he was exhausted, not the overused term "exhausted", but the seriously used term.
Draco walked over to the other side of the room where his daughters crib lies. "Hey baby girl", he says looking down at her into the crib, "What's wrong?" He was so tired. He picked up his daughter. He felt guilty that the first day of his senior year was also his daughter's birthday.
After being kicked out of his mansion on the outskirts of London he had to take refuge in a small studio apartment in Hertfordshire. Once his parents found his positive pregnancy test in his rubbish bin they kicked him out, no questions asked. He bounced with his daughter hoping to maybe relieve any gas she might have. "What is wrong, Midori? Baby, you want some formula" Draco asked desperately wanting to get at least a little rest.
As he walks out of the kitchen he thinks of how he named his daughter. He was nine months pregnant and he was tired. The next day was the day his precious baby was to be born and he still didn't have a name for her. He decided that he would look at the baby names book that the shelter had given him. When he got to section 'M' he looked down and then he got to the name Midori. At the exact moment he laid his eyes on that name his water broke and he knew that he was having a daughter and her name would be Midori Arianna (after his best friend at the teen parents clinic he resided at, at the time) Malfoy.
Draco opens the refrigerator and reveals bottles of formula, baby food and milk. Draco basically lives on cereal, spending all of his money on his daughter. "Here you go honey" Draco says laying Midori on her back and giving her the bottle she longed for. After rocking her for a few minutes Draco placed her in her crib and went to sleep only to be awoken again at five thirty. Not by Midori but by his alarm clock.
He has to drop Midori off at Arianna's house and go to his job at the Granger farm. Draco walks over to Midori's crib and sees that she is awake just staring up. "Hey Midi how are you this morning?" Every morning Draco had held a conversation with Midori hoping that she would some how grasp any words he was saying. The only noises that she had seemed to grasp were wails and cries.
Draco placed Midi on his bed and walked over to the closet that held about three or four outfits. When he was kicked out of his old home he had only the clothes on his back. He decided that he needed only three other outfits. The other outfit he had gotten from Arianna's foster mother. All his extra money was spent on Midori's clothes (which aren't to fancy either). He picked out his farm clothes and took out his duffle bag and placed his "good" outfit in it. He looked for the good shoes out of the two pairs he owned. He pulled his large t-shirt over his head and placed his white tank top on then buttoned his plaid t-shirt over the top. He picked up Midori and placed her in her play pen so she wouldn't wander around.
He walked into the bathroom, relieved himself, brushed his hair and put on his pants. He walked back out and picked up Midori. "Hey honey, how are you doing" he asks tickling her soft, pale stomach. He placed her in her green high chair taking her giggle as an answer. He went into the refrigerator and took out the baby food she hadn't finished yesterday. "Honey I am going to feed you" Draco said when Midori went to take the spoon. She didn't understand and continued to grab for the spoon.
"NO" Draco said with force hoping that Midori would understand. Unlike a normal child Midori did not cry she just looked at her father a look of concern on her face. With that look plastered on her face she spoke her first words were spoken, "Daddy, ok" she said it as a question. Draco smiled a proud, ecstatic smile and hugged his daughter. "Yes daddy is wonderful." Draco looked at her. "Would you like to feed yourself, Midi" asked Draco. Midi nodded in response. "Use your words" Draco demanded. "Yes" she said and grabbed the spoon. Draco let out a laugh and prepared his own meal.
As he finished eating his cereal he picked up Midori and placed her into a small green and silver dress. Draco placed her on his hip and grabbed his bus ticket and key and walked out of the apartment. Once he got on the bus he saw the usual people Herb and Helga. "Hey Herb how is the weather supposed to be today" Draco asked the elderly man. It was the same conversation that they had every morning. "It is supposed to be cold and rainy today, yup, could and rainy" and it was the same answer as always.
"Can I see precious little Midori" asked Helga, Herb's wife, as usual. Draco turned his head to face Helga and nodded smiling. He handed Midori to Helga. "So Herb how many years are you and Helga going to be married? Isn't your anniversary tomorrow" asked Draco smiling at the large old man sitting across from him. "Yes, yes indeed 45 years tomorrow. Can you believe that Helga" Herb turned to his wife that was seated next to Draco. "I can't believe that I have put up with you that long" Helga finished with a large loving smile that said otherwise.
"This is my stop guys, same time tomorrow" Draco asked taking Midori back and standing. "Sorry deary we have anniversary plans tomorrow" Helga said grabbing Herbs hand lovingly. "Oh, Midori is going to miss you tomorrow." Draco smiled and walked off the bus. He walked over to the apartment building and called up to apartment 4D. "Dray come on up" he heard Arianna's voice call down. He climbed the stairs and dropped off Midori with Arianna's mom and he and Arianna went off to work.
"I hate that girl, the Granger girl" Arianna said, "The other day she walked in with her horse with her nasty preppy clothes and said 'He pooped out there, go pick it up farmhand' I coulda killed her right there" Arianna is from New York, not New York City but upstate. Before she got pregnant she worked at the Saratoga Race Track. Her one true love was and still is horses. Draco let out a whole hearted laugh knowing exactly how annoying the girl could really be.
They took a turn down to the trail they ran every morning. The trail ran right to the farm they both worked at. "You ready" asked Arianna jogging in place and shaking her arms. "Most definitely" Draco said using the language Arianna usually does. They both start off in a slow jog rounded down the curvy path avoiding stumps and rocks that are potential hazards. As they get half way the run at a steady pace. A quarter of the way there they pick up the speed to a full out sprint. They both get there ou of breath and shaky. " I love running early in the morning" Arianna said smiling and wiping the little perspiration that had gathered on her forehead.
Arianna is a medium size girl at about 5 foot 5 inches and weighing about 140 pounds you wouldn't expect her to be one of the fastest runners in the town. Her hair was short and only long enough to be put in a small ponytail on the top of her head. "Let's get going to the barn don't want little Hermione to be upset" She said "Hermione" with a tone of disgust. "Yeah that would be just horrible" Draco said laughing at his friends hatred toward there bosses daughter.