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Chapter 32 -
Hermione would ignore Draco's ranting. It was not her fault. She was not off crying…
No, she would not ignore his ranting after all. "I didn't run off crying like a baby. And if you hadn't been afraid to get your hands dirty, than you would be safe and sound picking vegetables right this minute!"
She let go of his hand, and opened the screen door. Mrs. Weasley and Fleur were rolling out dough on the table. "Hermione, dear, have you seen Ginny and Harry? And, where are the vegetables?"
Hermione looked at Draco, and then back to Molly. "Harry and Ginny are picking the vegetables. They sent us in to do their chore."
Fleur snickered, and Mrs. Weasley laughed. "Do you know what their chore is?"
"No," Hermione said slowly, somewhat afraid. Draco stood behind Hermione, even more afraid than she was.
"Go upstairs, to Bill's old room, and he'll explain," Fleur said. Draco took Hermione's hand and led them upstairs.
"Maybe they want us to test out a mattress or something," Draco joked.
"You are a git," Hermione stated. They walked down the hall to Bill's old room. He was sitting on the bed, holding a crying, screaming, mud-covered toddler.
"Hi, Hermione, where's Ginny?" Bill asked, standing with his daughter in his hands.
"She's outside. Your mum told us to come and see what chore you had in store for us," Hermione said.
Bill got an almost evil grin on his face. "You and Malfoy are going to do Ginny's chore?" he asked.
"Maybe," Hermione stated, fearful.
"Hold out your hands, Malfoy," Bill said. Draco looked over at Hermione, and then to Bill, and then held out his hands. Bill deposited his crying daughter in Draco's arms. Draco held the child out, far from his body, as if she was a poisonous vermin or something.
"After her bath, put her down for a nap," Bill said. He walked down the hall, laughing the entire way.
"Take her!" Draco said, holding her out toward Hermione.
"Why me?" Hermione asked back.
Still holding the screaming child out in front of him, he said, "Because you are the woman. You hold the child."
"You ARE a caveman," Hermione said, backing away.
Draco took two steps closer, and said, "Take her, she's filthy, and she smells bad."
Hermione hid behind the door. "I'm not good with children."
"Do you think I am?" he asked.
"You're closer to her intellect, and you're about as mature," Hermione said, completely behind the door.
He moved the door away from her with his foot and demanded, "Take this effing child!"
"You keep her. Why should we both get dirty, anyway, you're closer to her age," Hermione pleaded.
"That makes no sense! Take her, please," Draco almost whined. The baby cried louder.
"Seriously, Malfoy, you hold her, I'll get the water ready," Hermione reasoned. She ran out of the bedroom, toward the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Draco walked to the bathroom, and kicked the door opened with his foot, since his hands were occupied.
"Granger, take this child from me! Seriously, it's crying, it's dirty, and I think it might have soiled itself!"
Hermione opened the door, and said, "I think she's two years old. She probably goes to the potty on her own, so she probably did not…oh, goodness, I think you are right. She smells really bad!" Hermione backed up, her hands in front of her.
"Take this kid, now!" Draco yelled. The baby cried louder still.
"Draco, you're scaring her," Hermione said, now laughing. "You're scaring me as well."
"Well, she's scaring me," Draco said back. Hermione turned off the water, and tested it. It was too hot. She turned the cold back on for a moment.
Soon, Victoire stopped crying, because Malfoy, who still had his hands straight out in front of him, was swinging her back and forth, like a pendulum of a clock. Hermione looked up when she finally got the water the right temperature and said, "That seems to be working. She likes that." Hermione looked at the baby and said, "Tick, Tock, Victoire's a clock, a very, very, dirty clock!" The baby smiled. Hermione smiled. Draco blanched.
"Take her please," Draco said.
Hermione took the baby, and sat on the floor. Draco went to the opened bathroom door, and stood in the threshold. "Why are you all the way over there?" Hermione asked, stripping the child's shoes and socks off her.
"I might have to make a hasty retreat," he said. "I want to be close to the door, when you pull her little pants off her, just in case."
That actually had Hermione worried as well. Since her little shorts and panties were all that were left, Hermione put the baby on her back, on the bathroom rug, and started to strip the remaining clothing. Draco held his nose. Hermione peered at the baby and said, "Oh, GOODNESS!"
Draco ran out of the room, screaming. "Yuck! That is disgusting! No manners what so ever!"
"Draco, come in here and help me!" Hermione yelled.
"I don't know what to do!" he yelled from the hallway, his hands in the air.
Hermione felt like crying. "I don't either!" She wrapped the dirty panties and shorts in the bathmat, and put it in the corner. She took a washcloth and cleaned her up. She almost threw up twice. Finally, she looked at the door and said, "Malfoy, the coast is clear, come back."
He inched his face back toward the door. "Did you get all the poop?"
Hermione laughed. "Yes, I got all the poop!" She put the baby in the tub, kneeled by the side, and with a clean rag, started washing her, as she splashed around. Draco came and sat on the edge of the tub. Hermione rinse the baby's blond hair, and put some shampoo on her scalp. She washed her hair. She took a cup and began to rinse her hair.
Draco was mesmerized. His eyes never left Hermione once. He said, "You said you didn't know how to do this."
"Well, I've never done it before," she said, "but, it's pretty easy. After all, I know how to take a bath, so I guess I know how to give one."
"You will have to give me one someday, and I will give you an honest review of your skills," he teased with a smile. She looked up and smiled as well. She went back to splashing with the baby. Draco thought Hermione looked so beautiful. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. Then he kissed the top of the baby's head.
"This wasn't too hard," Draco said.
"You didn't do anything," Hermione stated.
"I held her," Draco pointed out.
"Well, get a clean towel, and you can hold her again," Hermione said. Draco stood up and got a big fluffy towel from the cupboard. He held it out, and Hermione deposited the wet toddler in his arms. He wrapped her up and followed Hermione to the other room. Hermione said, "Bill left her some clean cloths. Let's get her dressed."
Hermione finished drying her, and she sat with the baby on her lap. She struggled to dress her. "I can't get her arms in the sleeves," Hermione said.
"Didn't you ever dress your little baby dolls?" Draco laughed.
"Sure, but they didn't wiggle around, and if I had trouble putting their arms in the sleeves, I could just take the arm off, and then reattach it," Hermione said.
"I wouldn't recommend that with her," he snickered.
"HA, HA!" she responded.
She finally got her dressed, sans shoe and socks. "Draco, put her socks on her. At least do something useful."
Draco sat on the floor, in front of Hermione's legs and reached up as Hermione held the baby on her lap, brushing the baby's hair. He took her little foot, and put one sock on. He started to put the other one on, but instead, he smelled the baby's foot and said, "Eww, stinky!"
Victoire laughed. So did Hermione. Draco tickled her foot and then put the last sock on. Hermione stood up and said, "Go find a book we can read to her." Hermione fell back on the small bed, with the baby by her side. Draco came back in the room and handed Hermione a book. Hermione looked at the cover and said, "Magical Beast and How to Kill them?"
"I couldn't find anything else," he said.
"Go to Ginny's old room. There is a whole bookshelf of children's books in there, seriously," Hermione told him. She threw the other book on the floor.
Draco came back in with a book of fairytales. Hermione was on her side, as the baby was on her back, and she began to read. Draco stood at the foot of the bed, and watched. Finally, he said, "May I join you?" Hermione continued to read, but nodded her head. Draco crawled up on the bed, behind Hermione, and put his arms around her. He rested his cheek next to hers. It truly was not long before the baby was sleeping. Hermione looked over her shoulder, and Draco had his eyes shut as well.
Hermione put the book down, and sat up. She crawled off the bed, careful not to disturb the baby. She leaned over Malfoy and said, "Draco?"
He opened his eyes. "I wasn't sleeping. I was just enjoying the moment. That was one of the best moments of my life."
Hermione put her hand on his cheek, and leaned down and kissed his mouth tenderly. "Even the poopy pants part?" she asked, as she stood back up. Draco stood up beside her.
"Well, I could have lived without that, but what do you expect, the child, even though she is half Fleur, is still half Weasley, too." Draco looked back over to the bed, as Hermione arranged the covers on the baby's legs. She put a pillow on each side of her and then took Draco's hand, walked out the room, and closed the door so it was only open a crack.
As soon as they were in the hall, she put her arms around his neck and placed her cheek next to his. "You will make a wonderful father."
"Are you trying to tell me something, because honestly, isn't it a little early to be pregnant already?" he joked.
"I meant, someday," she said. She rested her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair.
"You are the natural. I fell in love with you all over again, just seeing how sweet and natural you were with the baby," Draco lauded, "I just might have to keep you barefoot and pregnant."
"Caveman," Hermione said, smacking his arm.
"Cavewoman," Draco laughed back.
Hermione said, "The front of my dress is still damp. Take your wand and dry me off, please."
"I have a better idea," Draco said, leading her to Ginny's old room.
Hermione was curious, excited, and slightly weary all in one. She followed him in Ginny's room, and watched as he shut the door.
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