A/N: What I've decided to do is publish a second chapter. Based on the feedback I'll either keep going, or cut the second chapter and take this back to a one-shot. Let me know what you think.

The doorbell rang and Harry rushed off to answer it. Draco stayed behind in their room, fuming. They had plans to go out that night, but Ron and Hermione had called. Arthur Weasley had an unfortunate mishap with some sort of cursed doorknob, and he was going to have to stay in St. Mungos for a few days. Ron and Hermione had agreed to go stay by his bedside that night, as one of the side effects was incurable sleeplessness and Molly couldn't take another night awake. They called Harry asking if he and Draco could baby-sit Rose, and Harry agreed without consulting Draco. Draco had no desire to spend a night with a crying infant, and felt like Harry was just trying to show him how wonderful having a child around could be.

"Draco, come say hi!" Harry's voice carried through the flat.

Draco appeared in the doorway of their room. Very stiffly he nodded towards Hermione and Ron. "Granger. Weasley." Then he slammed the door and returned to the bed. He took out a book, but he couldn't concentrate. He heard Harry apologizing for his actions, and taking a cooing Rose from her parents. A few minutes later Harry, holding the happily wiggling baby, opened the door to the bedroom.

"That was really mature, Malfoy," Harry rolled his eyes.

"So was volunteering me to baby-sit," Draco shot back.

"You don't have to do anything. I'll do it if it bothers you that much."

"Good. Now take it away before it starts fussing."

"It? Rose is a girl, you know that perfectly well."

"At this age a fully clothed baby girl can be rarely distinguished from a fully clothed baby boy. All it is right now is a crying, needy, pooping mess."

Harry sighed deeply. "You know, you're impossible sometimes."

Draco opened the book and turned to the first page. "I try to be," he said with finality. Harry sighed again and left the room. Draco emerged a few hours later to find Harry sitting on the floor, scrubbing the carpet.

"What happened?" Draco asked.

Harry looked up at him, and the look of annoyance on his face quickly vanished. "I was changing her nappy and after I took the old one off she pissed before I could get the new one on."

Draco rolled his eyes, pulled out his wand, and with a wave the stain disappeared.

"Thanks. I forgot that spell, and I was afraid of making it worse. You know how bad a housekeeper I am," he smiled, rising to his feet and nuzzling Draco's neck.

"Everybody knows you put the new nappy under the old one in case of just such a mishap," Draco said, walking towards the kitchen to get something to eat.

Harry's face became somewhat triumphant. "So you do know a thing or two about babies."

Draco shook his head while pulling out leftover Chinese. "All I know is that, and if you bounce them and hear sloshing there's a good chance you're about to get spit up on." He cast a warming spell on the food, placed it on a plate, and started towards the bedroom again.

"Aw, come on. Stay out here," Harry said, blocking his path.

Draco looked down at Rose, who wrinkled her nose at him. "It doesn't seem like I'm wanted."

"She's just confused about who you are. You haven't seen her in months."

"Yeah. I haven't. So why start now?" Draco pushed past Harry into the bedroom and shut the door. He watched a little TV, ate his food, and laid down for sleep. A little while later Harry came in, stripped off his shirt, changed into some pajama pants, and snuggled up next to Draco. He was quickly asleep.

At three in the morning Rose's shrill cries carried through the flat, waking Draco. He turned over and shook Harry slightly.

"Whazzamatter?" Harry murmured, his eyes half-opening.

"She's crying," Draco hissed.

"She'll be okay," Harry laid back down and buried his head in his pillow. "She'll cry herself back to sleep soon."

Draco laid back and waited for the cries to stop. Five minutes later that had not only not ceased, but they had grown more intense. He shook Harry again, but Harry only moaned, turned over, and put his pillow over his head. Draco sighed and reluctantly got out of bed. He went to the portable crib Rose was sleeping in. Her face was contorted in a shrill cry. Not knowing what to do Draco picked her up. He sat in the rocking chair Harry had conjured up earlier and, with Rose lying across his lap, he started rocking. The crying did not cease. Draco summoned a bottle from the kitchen, warmed it with a spell, and placed the nipple in front of Rose. She stopped crying and lifted her neck to take it in her mouth. She started sucking happily, making little sighing noises.

"So that's all you needed, huh?" Draco murmured at the baby. She stopped sucking long enough to give a little smile at him. He thought he felt the corners of his mouth turn up slightly for a quick moment. Rose quickly finished off the bottle, and started fussing slightly again. Draco looked around for what she might want when his eyes fell on the burp rag. With a face of disgust he draped the cloth over his shoulder and lifted Rose up. He started to rub her back, and a moment later was rewarded with a loud belch.

He held Rose at arms length and looked at her. "That was certainly a loud and disgusting noise for such a little thing." The baby responded by wiggling and smiling at him. Draco stood and placed Rose back in her crib, but as soon as he turned away the baby started crying again.

He sighed and turned back to the infant. "What now?" he asked, but as he said it he smelled something that gave him the answer. He was sorely tempted to go wake Harry, but the baby cried louder when he turned, so, sighing again, he reached into the crib and picked her up. He placed her gently on the floor and changed her nappy. Some Slytherin Prince I am, he thought.

A second time he gently placed Rose into the crib, and a second time she responded by crying loudly.

"What this time?" he hissed, feeling a wave of anger rushing over him. He felt like punching something, but instead he turned, grabbed the back of the chair. He took a few deep breaths until he felt himself calm back down. He turned back to the baby, who was still crying, and picked her up. He sat back in the rocking chair and started rocking, and Rose quieted down immediately. She cooed quietly, and nestled up to him. A few minutes later she fell asleep. Very carefully he laid her back into the crib. She stayed sleeping, so he crept back into his room and laid back in the bed. Harry had uncovered his head and was snoring slightly. Draco shook his head, laid down, and rolled himself in the comforter. A few minutes later he was asleep.

At six in the morning he and Rose repeated the dance. He had laid back down at seven thirty, and as he did Harry awoke. Harry stretched and gave Draco a kiss on the cheek.

"Rose was good last night, wasn't she?" Harry smiled.

Draco scoffed. "Twice she woke me up crying, and twice you told me to ignore her, that she'd go back to sleep on her own."

"Didn't she?"

"No," Draco snapped. "I had to go out there to feed her, change her, and rock her back to sleep."

"Oh," Harry replied, his head hanging slightly.

"Now, if you don't mind," Draco said angrily, tugging the sheets over his head again, "I'm exhausted. I'm going back to bed."

Harry nodded, afraid to approach him. Instead he turned and left the room.

Draco shook his head before falling asleep. If anything, the babysitting plot had backfired. He had never wanted to be a father less.