"What happened?" Miss Granger gasped when Draco had returned. He was a cold mess, having gone out in his sleeping clothing without even any shoes.
Draco cupped the mug she handed to him to warm up his fingers. "I-I went ou-out!" he told her with chattering teeth. "It's fr-freezing out th-there!"
Miss Granger waved her wand over him. "You're not ill, but sheesh Draco, you're making no sense today!"
He sipped at his tea, thinking about his mother's words. And then he remembered the dream he had the night before about his mother coming to help him with his life.
Draco looked around the table to see that Miss Granger and the two children were watching him. The baby had a mess of jam spread across his face, and the girl was in mid-bite of a piece of toast.
Mother said this was his family now. These were his children… The thought of being a father flustered him. How could he have procreated? And with Miss Granger of all people…?! She certainly wasn't his type! She was stiff and annoying,a heavily opinionated know-it-all!
How in the bloody hell did they end up tying the knot?!
This wasn't real, he recalled. Mother said that she would show him what life could be if he would open his heart some. Married to Granger with two young, screaming children and a tiny house? This was his married life? Why weren't they living in his Manor?! Where were his elves?! What happened to his business? Did he even have money anymore?
"Are you at all listening to me?"
He looked up to see that Miss Granger was impatiently tapping her foot.
"I'm just trying to make sense of all this…"
"I already explained this to you a week ago, I feel you never listen to me anymore!"
'A week ago, this life didn't even exist!' Draco's mind screamed.
"Now, I'll only be gone a few hours," she said, buttoning up a jacket.
"Wait!" He panicked, shooting up from his chair at the dining table. "You're leaving?"
"Yes," she answered slowly, slightly scratching at her head, as if she was trying to remember something that she had forgotten. "I just reminded you that I have some last minute things to do at the office."
"You're going to leave me here? Alone? With-with them?!" Draco gestured helplessly toward the children.
Miss Granger shook her head. "I don't have time for this," she decided, kissing the baby on the top of his head, and then doing the same to the little girl. "Don't forget, you have to make cookies for Father Christmas!"
She went to plant a kiss to Draco's cheek but he darted out of the way, chuckling nervously. The thought of her lips touching made him blush a little.
"You are so strange today," she told him with another shake of her head, and then she was gone.
The children looked at Draco, expecting something of him.
"Stop looking at me like that!" He walked out and back to the bedroom with the little girl right at his heels.
"Are you really my daddy?" she questioned suspiciously.
"Um…" He turned around to see that she had her head tilted a little. "I guess, for right now, I'm supposed to be…"
"But you're not my real daddy? Have you used some polyjuice? Where is my real daddy?"
"How old are you, kid?"
She raised up her index finger, as if to chastise him. "My real daddy would know this!"
"Well, little girl, your real daddy has evidently left the building at the moment." He opened the closet, hoping to find a suit to wear, and smiled with relief. At least one thing stayed the same in this life!
"When will he be back?"
"I don't know, kid. I'm as clueless as you."
"My name is Anna," she told him. "So you don't have to call me kid anymore."
"Alright," he acknowledged slowly, making a mental note to himself. "If you wouldn't mind, Anna, I would like if you left me alone for a few minutes to dress."
"Okay! And when you're finished, we can clean up the kitchen and make cookies!"
"Oh, joy to the world," he drawled out sarcastically, shutting the door behind her.
There was a mirror on the other side of the door, and he used that to tidy himself up, finding everything he would normally use in his previous life in an adjoining bathroom. He must have had some money still, most of the products he used weren't cheap.
Back in the kitchen, Anna was washing the face of her little brother with a cloth, and the baby was starting to fuss unhappily because of it.
"He won't hold still," she complained.
"What do you want me to do about it?"
She rolled her eyes and let out a huff. "Well, you are the daddy!"
Draco sat down with a groan, setting a hand up to his forehead. "Listen kid—"
"You have to call me Anna!"
Draco inhaled deeply, trying to keep calm. It seemed 'his' daughter was very much like her mother; persistent.
He nearly shuddered over the thought of Miss Granger being his wife.. He couldn't think about her right now. One step at a time.
"I'm sorry, Anna, but this is all so completely new to me, alright? This is literally my first day as a father. I might need just a bit of help. Would you care to assist me? I would greatly appreciate it."
The girl beamed with delight, and she stretched up onto on her tiptoes. "Of course I'll help you, Daddy!"
"Great!" He heaved out a sigh of relief. "So what's the first thing I should do?"
"Well," she sung out, looking at her brother through the corners of her eyes. "You might want to change Rigel's nappy!"
AN: I'm so excited! Tomorrow I am decorating gingerbread houses with my dad and grandma! \o/
Had to edit this chapter a little. Sometimes fanfiction cuts out a few words from sentences, messing it up royally and confusing everyone who attempts to read the story :D Sorry about that!
Review Responses:
tmtcltb: Hmm, you look familiar. **shifts eyes** heehee :D I don't think you'll be disappointed with this story at all. It is so cute. :) I am so glad that I was able to get it all written before Christmas!
natt123: Hehe, thank you! :)
ssdawning: Oh hi there, I think we've 'met' :D I love these kinda stories. I am loosely basing this off The Family Man (Nicholas Cage).